Destroyed buildings reduced to towering piles of rubble dominate the landscape as rescue efforts continue in Venezuela.
Collapsed buildings. Mountains of rubble. Rescue teams are racing against time. Families dig through the rubble with their bare hands, hoping to find their loved ones alive. Images from Venezuela show the extent of the devastation after two powerful earthquakes struck the north of the country on Wednesday.
920 people have been killed, thousands injured, and more than 50,000 people reported missing, as humanitarian aid arrives and search and rescue operations continue.Two magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck northern Venezuela less than a minute apart from each other on Wednesday, with rescue efforts continuing in the worst-hit areas, including La Guaira and parts of Caracas. The authorities said that the number of victims is expected to rise as teams continue to search for survivors under the rubble.
Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble two days after an earthquake in La Guaira. Image source: AP
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday that the death toll had risen from 589 to 920. He also announced a military deployment in La Guaira, one of the worst-hit states.
Rescue workers race to find survivors under the rubble. Image source: AP
As families searched for their loved ones, some used their hands to dig through the rubble. “Every person saved is a miracle,” Rodriguez said.The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. “We have more than 50,000 people missing and more than 500 dead, so the task of getting over the rubble is huge,” Tom Fletcher, a UN humanitarian aid official, told AFP.
Residents search through rubble two days after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
The United States said it deployed two warships, transport aircraft and helicopters while mobilizing $150 million in humanitarian aid. Washington also suspended economic sanctions on Venezuela that could have hampered rescue operations.
Residents pull a body from the rubble two days after the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubios)
The United Nations also highlighted the impact on children. “An estimated 3.9 million children live in areas affected by the strong earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday,” she said in a post on X.
UNICEF is on the ground to support national efforts to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and their families.
Rescue workers carry a survivor after he was pulled from the rubble two days after the earthquake struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela. Image source: Annie
In a gesture of solidarity with Venezuela, India also launched Operation Amistad, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mission. Two Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft departed on Friday carrying humanitarian relief supplies and a 41-member rescue team to support ongoing search, rescue and relief operations.
Survivors search for missing relatives in the collapsed building they lived in two days after the earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela. Image source: AP
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that a new 4.9-magnitude earthquake occurred off the northern coast of Venezuela on Friday.
Piles of collapsed buildings and debris stretch across the disaster zone as rescue workers continue to search for survivors in Venezuela. Image source: AP