LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — The death toll from two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday rose to 1,430 on Saturday as rescue operations continued and international aid began arriving, authorities said.
The earthquakes struck the coastal region of La Guaira and surrounding areas, collapsing buildings and leaving millions of people in need of emergency assistance.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said 1,430 people had died and 3,238 others were injured. The United Nations estimated that the earthquakes caused about $6.7 billion in physical damage, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s gross domestic product.
The UN migration agency estimated that up to 6.76 million people could require emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation, healthcare, protection services and other relief assistance.
Search-and-rescue teams continued looking for survivors as residents searched through collapsed buildings. Emergency responders said the first 72 hours after a disaster are considered the most critical period for locating people trapped under debris.
Australian firefighter Craig Demeillon traveled from Miami to assist rescue efforts in La Guaira.
“It’s just very chaotic, hot and unorganized,” Demeillon said. “Hopefully there’s more people to find.”
Rescuers pulled an infant alive from the rubble in La Guaira on Friday, about 32 hours after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck.
The United States said one runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport had resumed partial operations, allowing C-17 military aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to land. A U.S. naval ship also arrived off Venezuela’s coast.
Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodriguez thanked foreign governments for providing assistance and said she had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about relief efforts.
The United States said it had deployed more than 250 disaster response personnel, including three urban search-and-rescue teams with search dogs. Rodriguez said 21 countries had sent rescue teams to Venezuela.
Authorities restricted access to La Guaira, deployed military personnel to the disaster area and required volunteers to obtain permits before entering affected communities.
Some residents criticized the restrictions, saying they delayed rescue efforts.
Yessica Mendoza said her family recovered the bodies of her daughter, Yesimar Rodriguez, 25, and son-in-law, Jhomel Anaya, 26, without assistance after their home collapsed.
“We were the ones who pulled them out ourselves. No help ever came,” Mendoza said.
Carlos Itriago, who waited to obtain a volunteer permit, questioned the requirement.
“You need a permit to save lives,” he said.
Venezuela continues to recover from years of economic instability and political upheaval, which have strained public services, including healthcare and emergency response systems.
Authorities said those killed in the earthquakes included 28 Portuguese nationals, five Spaniards, two Brazilians, seven Chinese nationals, one Chilean, one Italian-Venezan and one Uruguayan.
