Earthquakes Kill 1,430 in Venezuela; Rescue Teams Pull Survivors from Rubble

Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela's La Guaira state on June 24, killing 1,430 people by June 27 and leaving at least 68,900 reported missing. Rescue operations continued three days later in the coastal state, where residents and teams used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands to search collapsed buildings.

International teams from Mexico, the United States, Brazil, El Salvador and France arrived by June 27.

Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had landed. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez stated on state television that more than 14,000 military and police members were patrolling the area. Access to affected zones required special permits.

An aftershock of 4.8 struck Caracas and quake-hit areas on June 27. Simón Bolívar International Airport operated with one runway while U.S. teams repaired damage, and a U.S. Navy transport ship stood ready offshore to receive airlifted survivors.

Salvadoran teams pulled a 69-year-old woman from rubble in La Guaira. She requested a Coca-Cola after being freed. Telemundo reported that rescuers extracted an 18-day-old baby boy and his mother after 12 hours of searching.

The International Organization for Migration stated that more than 6 million people could be affected, including about 2 million in Caracas. Rodríguez took office as acting president in January 2026 after the U.S. capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela has faced economic disarray for more than a decade.