Deadly Earthquakes Strike Venezuela, Rescue Efforts Underway Amid Rising Toll

BOGOTA, Colombia — It took less than a minute for two powerful earthquakes to strike Venezuela on Wednesday evening. Two days later, firefighters, soldiers and volunteers are still digging through collapsed buildings in Caracas and surrounding areas.

On Friday, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on state television that 589 people had died and 2,980 had been injured. The death toll is expected to rise as thousands more had been injured.

With emergency resources stretched thin, volunteers have been arriving at disaster sites carrying their own shovels, hammers and basic tools to assist rescue efforts.

"In a place like this you just feel shocked. I don't even feel like taking photos," said volunteer Sebastian Arias, who described moving between neighborhoods where buildings had also collapsed. Arias said some sites were overcrowded with volunteers while others appeared to lack help and equipment.

Entire neighborhoods across Caracas and northern coastal states have been left in ruins, with international assistance now arriving to support overwhelmed local responders.

The last earthquake of comparable scale to hit Caracas occurred in 1967, when more than 200 people were killed in a magnitude 6.7 quake.

Wednesday's quakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, were felt across at least five northern states along the Caribbean coast, where strong earthquakes are relatively rare.

Residents described scenes of chaos as buildings swayed, glass shattered and people rushed into the streets.

"Everything was moving. My flower vases were crashing on the floor, and even paintings were falling off the walls … I had never experienced something like this," said resident Claudia Castillo.

Ana Soffer lives in Los Palos Grandes, a neighborhood in Caracas where at least three buildings collapsed. She was driving past the shopping mall when the first earthquake struck.

"I saw people running from inside the mall. I saw a big cloud of sand, and I decided to breathe, to do breathing exercises because all my body was shaking," she said.

While damage has been reported across the capital and several northern states, authorities say the worst destruction is centered in La Guaira, the port city that serves as the main gateway to the capital.

Dozens of buildings have collapsed there, leaving rescue crews working through mountains of debris in a race to reach those still trapped.

Venezuela's acting president, Rodríguez, met with the army's general staff to coordinate emergency operations in La Guaira on Thursday. State security forces are being deployed alongside heavy machinery to clear rubble and support search-and-rescue efforts in the hardest-hit areas.

Rodríguez has declared a nationwide state of emergency and urged medical staff to report for duty as hospitals struggle with rising casualties.

"We need all doctors and nurses to report to their places of work. We must take care of everyone who is arriving at emergency rooms," she said in a televised address.

Authorities have closed the country's main airport after structural damage was found in the terminal roof. Schools will remain shut for the rest of the week, and residents are being urged to avoid buildings that may have been weakened.

Several countries with earthquake-response experience, including Mexico, Chile and El Salvador, are sending emergency teams and medical supplies.

The United States has also announced support, including rescue crews from Virginia and California and aerial imagery to assess damage in remote coastal areas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the priority remains search and rescue.

The international response is unfolding against a sensitive diplomatic backdrop between Venezuela and the United States. Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was seized in January during a U.S. operation, further straining already tense relations.

Rodríguez has only recently begun efforts to revive growth, with public services buckling under strain, hospitals short of equipment and medication, and frequent power outages, leaving emergency response stretched thin.

The earthquakes have exposed the fragility of a system already pushed to its limits.