Venezuelans continue search for survivors as earthquake death toll surpasses 1,700
The search for survivors continued in Venezuela on Monday, five days after powerful back-to-back earthquakes devastated the nation, as the critical window for rescues rapidly closed and attention shifted to the country’s humanitarian crisis that could persist for years.
Relief organizations say the first 72 hours after a natural disaster are the most crucial for rescue operations, though survival can be extended if people have access to food and water.
Five days after the twin quakes, questions loomed about whether the cash-strapped government will be able to coordinate the effort needed to care for thousands of people who have been left homeless.
The official death toll has surpassed 1,700 people, according to the government, which maintains tight control over news media.
In other developments, a 4.6 magnitude aftershock rattled through the disaster zone in the northern state of La Guaira.
Facing criticism that authorities have done too little, too slowly, government officials aggressively promoted their recovery and rescue efforts. Police and military officers on Monday handed out cans of tuna and crackers to hungry displaced people in La Guaira.
In a speech, Jorge Rodríguez, the leader of the Venezuelan National Assembly and brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said electricity had been restored to 90 percent of the hardest-hit state of La Guaira. He said authorities were racing to evaluate damaged buildings that still posed a danger and had set up 15 temporary displacement camps.
Many Venezuelan news reports have avoided politically delicate questions related to the earthquake, such as the widespread collapse of buildings, sticking instead to safer stories about heroic rescues. Delcy Rodríguez, who came to power in January after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration seized former President Nicolás Maduro, shared footage Monday of emergency workers lifting a man out of the ruins to applause after a 43-hour search effort.
“Each life saved is a victory for hope,” she wrote on X.
Such bright spots are rare at the quake’s epicenter, where families keep vigil at search sites.
“We have to stay strong, even without food, without sleep,” said Ana Rada, watching as civil defense workers looked for her brother. “Until I see the body, I still have hope.”
After what the government said were more than 600 aftershocks since Wednesday’s quakes, a moderate temblor on Monday struck 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of Caraballeda on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast and measured 4.6 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Jorge Rodríguez said there were no reports of damage, but the shock sent residents in the capital of Caracas screaming into the streets.
“Here we are again, back in the street. I don’t know when we’ll have a moment of true peace,” said Concepción Hernández, 51, evacuating her apartment in the Chacao municipality of Caracas.
