Venezuela Earthquake LIVE Updates: Desperation mounts as earthquake death toll rises to 1,430

Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands Friday in the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes, saying they have not seen state rescue teams despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response.

The devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck late Wednesday killed at least 589 people and left thousands injured, authorities said.

Desperate families across northern Venezuela searched in the ruins of buildings for family members and whatever remained of their lives.

Nazareth Jimenez sobbed into the shoulder of a loved one as she watched neighbors try to cut through slabs of concrete with power tools in a building reduced to a mountain of debris. “My god, how are we going to get them out of there?" she murmured.She was in the hardest-hit northern state of La Guaira, just north of the capital of Caracas, and was wracked with anxiety as she waited to see if her siblings, nephews, nieces and friends would emerge from the debris alive. AP

WATCH | Three members of the same family were rescued alive from the rubble of a seven-story building that collapsed following the earthquake in Venezuela.

The death toll from two back-to-back earthquakes ⁠in ​Venezuela has risen ​to ​around 589 with ⁠close to 3,000 ‌people injured, interim president Delcy Rodriguez ⁠said ⁠on Friday.

She ⁠also ‌said that ​the ‌government has decided ‌to ​militarize the ​state ​of La ​Guaira after ⁠the earthquakes. Reuters

Colombia has dispatched a 63-member USAR-COL team to Venezuela to assist in rescue operations following the devastating earthquakes. The contingent includes personnel from the Colombian Army, Navy, National Police, Civil Defense and the National Firefighters, and is carrying more than 12 tonnes of specialised rescue equipment.

Rescue personnel from Mexico arrived in Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez informed in a post on X. She added that the team has come along with supplies to support the "search efforts for survivors and the care of families affected by the earthquakes".

Spain's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that two Spanish nationals were killed in the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela, while around 80 others remain unaccounted for, the BBC reported.

According to Spanish media, citing family sources, one of the victims has been identified as 65-year-old Alazne Solabarrieta Lecea, who was born in Caracas. Reports say she was the granddaughter of José María Solabarrieta, the former mayor of the Basque town of Ondarroa during Spain's Second Republic, who later went into exile in Venezuela.

Spanish media also reported that her husband, Luis María Olalde Quintela, was injured in the earthquake and is recovering in hospital. Spanish authorities have not officially confirmed the identities of those who died, the BBC report said.

Six search-and-rescue teams made up of specially trained dogs and their handlers are being deployed to Venezuela to assist in locating survivors trapped beneath rubble following the devastating earthquakes, a spokesperson for the International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation (IRO) reportedly told the BBC.

Nicola Puchelt said the first 72 hours after a disaster are critical for rescue efforts but stressed that there is "always hope" of finding people alive even several days later, the BBC reported.

India has launched 'Operation Amistad' to support earthquake-hit Venezuela, with two Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft carrying a field hospital unit and more than 35 tonnes of relief supplies, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced on Friday.

In a post on X, announcing the operation, Jaishankar said, "Operation Amistad underway! Two @IAF_MCC C17s took-off today for Venezuela with urgent assistance to support their post-earthquake relief efforts." https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2070424891841454113 The relief mission includes an Indian Army Field Hospital Unit and over 35 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including medicines, medical equipment and two BHISHM Cubes, designed to provide rapid emergency medical support in disaster situations. ANI

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed his condolences and support for the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that caused widespread destruction and loss of life. Joining a growing number of international leaders and organizations, Türk offered solidarity to those affected by the disaster.

In a statement posted on social media, Türk said his thoughts were with the families of those killed and injured in the earthquakes. He also voiced hope that the Venezuelan people would draw on their resilience as they confront the aftermath of the tragedy and begin the long process of recovery and rebuilding.

Pope Leo has approved an initial emergency donation of €100,000 to support relief efforts in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that have claimed at least 164 lives and caused extensive damage across the country.

The contribution comes as rescue teams continue searching for survivors amid widespread destruction.

AP file photo

The International Monetary Fund said it was monitoring developments in Venezuela after two powerful ⁠earthquakes ​hit the country, with thousands feared dead, ​and would ​remain engaged ⁠with Venezuelan authorities as they ‌assessed their needs.

IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack told reporters that the global lender ⁠was ⁠not involved in the ⁠debt restructuring ‌announced ​by Venezuela, but ‌remained in contact with ‌authorities there ​on ​the country's ​macroeconomic outlook.

She said the ​IMF stood ⁠ready to assist with the debt restructuring ‌as ⁠needed. Reuters

In a statement, UN Humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said, “We are fully mobilised to support the people of Venezuela following the deadly and devastating earthquakes that hit the country yesterday.”

According to Fletcher, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is coordinating the rapid deployment of Urban Search and Rescue Teams from across the international community through the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group. “I am surging a rapid response team to reinforce the OCHA team in country,” Fletcher added.

Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Acting President Delcy Rodriguez described as a "disaster zone" and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings.

"Dozens of buildings have collapsed there ... and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives," Rodriguez said.

Venezuela's Moron Petrochemical Complex, the country's second largest in operation, was restarting ⁠on ​Thursday after a preventive shutdown due to ​quakes that ​affected the ⁠area, leaving infrastructure damages, the ‌chief of firefighters in that area said.

Workers from the complex had ⁠been ⁠told not to come ⁠in while an ‌initial ​assessment on ‌damages was conducted, sources ‌from that ​center ​had ​said earlier, adding that ​a leak from ⁠a storage tank had been detected ‌on ⁠Wednesday. Reuters

Internet users across Venezuela have reportedly regained access to X following the earthquakes that struck the country, according to BBC News Mundo. The social media platform had been blocked under a government order since August 2024, limiting access for Venezuelan users.

Accounts that monitor internet censorship and digital restrictions reported that the block appears to have been lifted by major internet and mobile service providers, including CANTV, Thundernet, Digitel and Movistar, the BBC reported.

The Venezuelan government has not officially confirmed the change.

This comes hours after the United Nations' Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela urged the country's telecommunications regulator to fully restore access to social media platforms and news outlets so citizens could obtain critical information during the emergency.

The Venezuelan government announced that all public health centers across the country have been placed on alert and activated to assist people affected by the powerful earthquake that struck the country. Through the Ministry of People’s Power for Health and the National Public Health System, authorities said special attention is being focused on the hardest-hit areas, including the Capital District and the states of La Guaira, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed solidarity and offered support to Venezuela. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs took to X and informed, "President Putin expressed condolences to @delcyrodriguezv (Active President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez) over the tragic consequences of the devastating earthquake in Venezuela."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States has already deployed search-and-rescue teams to assist with emergency operations. He added that, with Venezuela’s airport severely damaged, the US Department of Defense will send additional assets to support relief efforts. Rubio also said the US government will provide overhead imagery to help authorities assess the extent of the destruction, particularly in hard-hit coastal regions.

(File photo)

Photos from Venezuela show people living outdoors as twin earthquakes render then homeless while firefighters continue rescue operations.

People stay outside their homes after the twin earthquakes in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday. (AP Photo)

A firefighter rescues a dog from a building that collapsed after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday. (AP/PTI)

Rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday. (AP Photo)

Trading has been suspended following the two powerful earthquakes, the Caracass Stock Exchange said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has announced the creation of an initial $200 million reconstruction fund, financed through resources from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to support the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure, hospitals and housing.

Rodriguez also said that around 30 aftershocks have been recorded since the two major earthquakes struck on Wednesday.

At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Thursday.

Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region.

Buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings. AP

Venezuela Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast. She said officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble.“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there ... and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodríguez said. Reuters

Venezuela acting President Delcy Rodriguez thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's support. Reposting Modi's X post, Rodriguez wrote, "The solidarity expressed by India is in keeping with the spirit of cooperation between our peoples in times of difficulty. We acknowledge these expressions of international support and are grateful for the expressions of solidarity we have received."

Countries around the world are mobilising to support Venezuela following two deadly earthquakes that caused widespread devastation. India, China and the United States have all offered assistance as the international response to the disaster continues to grow, the France 24 reported.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would immediately deploy rescue teams and humanitarian aid to assist those affected. The coordinated relief effort comes as emergency responders work to assess the damage and provide support to communities impacted by the twin earthquakes.

Clip captures damage to buildings after massive earthquakes struck Venezuela.