Event: Venezuela

Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands Friday (June 26, 2026) in the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes, citing the scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of the disaster climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing.Citizens digging through the rubble of their homes said they have seen few state rescue teams in the areas hit hardest by the devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck late Wednesday (June 24, 2026), despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response. Editorial |​Tragic evening: On the earthquake in VenezuelaThe lack of help compounded families' desperation as the pressure to find buried survivors increased with each passing hour. The South American nation on Friday (June 26, 2026) marked nearly two days since the disaster. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that period can be extended if they have access to food and water.On Friday (June 26, 2026) night, Venezuelan authorities announced they would block off access to La Guaira, the epicenter of the destruction, as chaos and and traffic began to affect search efforts. Government officials said that those who wanted to enter would now have to seek official permits, but provided few details of who would be allowed to enter. Residents walks through the rubble two days after earthquakes struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP Meanwhile, a broad international aid effort accelerated, with dozens of rescue teams from around the globe arriving in Venezuela or due to arrive there soon.“Each person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the country’s National Assembly. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy."Families…

Venezuelam interim President Delcy Rodriguez (center right) visits an area strongly affected by the earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Thursday. | Venezuelan Presidency / VIA AFP-JIJI The earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday have become the first major political test for acting President Delcy Rodríguez, with the disaster quickly evolving into a contest over competence. By Friday afternoon, the official death toll had risen to nearly 1,000, and authorities reported nearly 3,400 injured people. More than 200 aftershocks had occurred.As Rodríguez’s administration races to rescue victims, restore infrastructure and secure international assistance, the opposition is mounting its own support operation. That includes organizing the humanitarian response, creating rival platforms to locate missing people and coordinate aid. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Venezuelan Civil Protection members and firefighters rescue 21-year-old Patrick Vargas from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Friday, following two powerful earthquakes earlier in the week. | AFP-JIJI CARACAS/LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Desperate Venezuelans and rescue teams raced to find survivors on Friday, as the death toll from twin earthquakes rose above 900 with foreign rescue teams and aid only beginning to reach devastated areas nearly two days after the quakes.The government said 172 people remained trapped, 920 were dead and 3,360 injured, while a website listed more than 50,000 people reported missing.Frustration mounted over scarce equipment and uneven state support for the rescue ​effort after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes devastated parts of Caracas and surrounding areas on Wednesday evening. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

The South American country is still reeling from devastating pair of earthquakes that killed hundreds of people earlier this week.A new earthquake has been detected off the northern coast of Venezuela, registering as magnitude 4.9 on the Richter scale.The tremor on Friday comes days after a pair of powerful earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday evening, killing at least 920 people and leaving parts of the capital of Caracas devastated.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Venezuela earthquakes: What happens in the first 72 hours?list 2 of 3World aids rescue effort as Venezuela quake death toll hits 920list 3 of 3Advocates warn of wide-ranging implications of US Supreme Court TPS rulingend of listThe earthquake tracker organisation EMSC said in a social media post that the latest earthquake took place 61 kilometres (36 miles) northwest of Maracay in northern Venezuela.Additional details are not yet known, but the news service Reuters reported that tremors from Friday’s earthquake were felt in Maracay and Caracas, citing local witnesses.The South American nation is still reeling from the two earthquakes on Wednesday, one which registered 7.2 and the other 7.5 on the nine-point Richter scale.The death toll is expected to climb, with the US Geological Survey estimating that the number of casualties could exceed 10,000.At least 3,360 people have been reported injured, and more than 172 people remain trapped beneath the rubble. The number of missing has surpassed 50,000, according to the Venezuelan government.On Friday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that there would be restricted access to some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake in the state of La Guaira.Residents have been organising to collect supplies and search for survivors. Some have even used their vehicles as improvised ambulances.The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has loosened restrictions on social media platforms like X, which were…

The Quintero family crowded around their new home this week after two deadly earthquakes forced them to flee their apartment building in Caracas.Francisco Quintero reserved the seats of his small, beat-up car for his children, while the trunk is now home to Paquito, their green-and-red parakeet, and a handful of pet turtles. Editorial | ​Tragic evening: On the earthquake in VenezuelaMr. Quintero, a musician, said he and other adults in the family search nightly for a place to sleep near the car “until we get an answer about what they might do with us.”The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes that throttled Venezuela on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) evening just 39 seconds apart toppled buildings in Caracas and beyond, with hundreds of homes damaged. The number of confirmed dead — already in the hundreds — is expected to rise as frantic search-and-rescue missions continue.Thousands of Venezuelans left suddenly homeless have since poured into parks, plazas and even the shoulders of blocked highways, looking for a place to lay their heads. The latest crisis in this nation of roughly 30 million comes after decades of economic struggle. More than half of the population lives in extreme poverty and nearly 8 million were already in need of humanitarian aid before the quakes struck.In Guaira — the hardest hit state just north of Caracas — families placed sheets on a dusty baseball field to claim their space, their belongings stuffed into plastic bags. Others sought shelter under palm trees. Among them was 35-year-old Alexandra Martínez and her two children.“The apartment is completely wrecked,” she said as she wiped away tears. “The walls, the kitchen, everything, are destroyed. It split right down the middle.”Similar scenes played out across Caracas.“We have nowhere to live,” Desiré Gil said. “This is the only option we have for the moment.”The…

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTGraciela Mora was with a friend when earthquakes hit northern Venezuela. Video captured the moment she was rescued.VideoWoman Survives After Being Trapped by Rubble in EarthquakeRescuers pulled Graciela Mora, a resident of La Guaira, Venezuela, to safety on Thursday after she was buried beneath the rubble of a collapsed building during back-to-back earthquakes on Wednesday.June 26, 2026On Wednesday evening, Graciela Mora was in a multistory apartment building with a friend. Then, with cruel suddenness, the earth began to shake, and the two women’s fates diverged.A day later, Ms. Mora was pulled out of the pancaked rubble of the building in La Guaira, the port city that was among the worst-hit by Wednesday’s powerful earthquakes in northern Venezuela. A news video crew was at the scene, and Ms. Mora managed to recount her experience.She said she had reached for her friend as everything came crashing down, but that she “was gone.”“When the earthquake started, I held on really, really, really tightly to the door frame. So much so that I broke my finger,” Ms. Mora said.But the building was not strong enough to withstand the double earthquakes, 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude in strength and whose combined shaking lasted almost a minute. The structure collapsed.Video shows what appear to be local volunteers cheering as they extract Ms. Mora and pull her onto a stretcher.La Guaira, a port city north of Caracas where Ms. Mora was rescued, is where the most severe damage and loss of life has been reported from the quakes. At least 1,400 buildings were damaged, officials said, and on Friday afternoon the death toll stood at 920.Rescue teams have begun to arrive in Venezuela from all over the world. Hundreds of people, both dead and alive, are still trapped in the rubble, according to Venezuelan officials. Shock awaits those…

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Twin earthquakes have left thousands homeless. Many others who are too afraid to sleep in their homes have taken to the streets.Displaced residents at a stadium in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Thursday.Credit...Fabiola Ferrero for The New York TimesLuis Ferré-Sadurní and María Victoria FermínMaría Victoria Fermín reported from Caracas, Venezuela.June 26, 2026With nowhere to go, Venezuelans pitched tents in public plazas and by the side of busy highways. Families sprawled out on mattresses and over thin blankets, on patches of grass and concrete benches. Others went to parking lots to sleep in their cars.Many Venezuelans stayed outside for a second night in a row after back-to-back earthquakes on Wednesday toppled at least 250 buildings and left nearly 3,000 families homeless, according to Venezuelan officials.“We’ll stay here, best to be safe because there have been many aftershocks,” said Aliria Álvarez, 61, sitting on the sidewalk outside her apartment building in Caracas, the capital, on Thursday evening.She was accompanied by five relatives and a neighbor, all too afraid to sleep in their apartments, which emergency management workers had told them were not safe to stay in until they had been inspected for damage.They sat on plastic chairs, next to a tent they had set up, and hunkered down for another night, though sleep was hard to come by.VideoPeople in Caracas, Venezuela, camped in plazas and along streets in the wake of the earthquakes.CreditCredit...Carlos David CarrascoThank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of…

Rescuers pulled a woman alive from rubble after 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck Venezuela.Officials say at least 235 people have been killed and 4,300 injured, with many still trapped and missing.In La Guaira, one of the most affected areas, Graciela Mora was pulled from under the rubble of a collapsed building.She was rescued with injuries, including a broken finger, but a friend she was with at the time died.She told the Associated Press she held her friend's hand while waiting to be rescued so she would not have to die alone.The powerful quakes, among the strongest in over a century, were felt across the region and caused widespread destruction.Follow this story live