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Devastation in La Guaira and global response

The Venezuelan authorities blocked access to La Guaira, the area hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes. So far, at least 1,430 deaths, more than 3,200 injuries and nearly 69,000 people are reported missing.

Rescuers from several countries work tirelessly. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, reported that they are trying to free Onai Quiñonez, trapped in an unstable structure. “First God, we are going to achieve it,” he wrote in X, where he shared images of the operation.

Gustavo Petro, his Colombian counterpart, insisted: “This is the time to unlock Venezuela, President Donald Trump.” The US Treasury temporarily suspended some sanctions until October 23 to facilitate humanitarian aid.

Miracles among the rubble

The State Department confirmed the rescue of a baby alive, after 72 hours. “Despite impossible circumstances, hope endures,” he posted.

In Playa los Cocos, volunteers pulled out a man who, disoriented, was screaming for his family. Salvadoran teams rescued Marlene Angulo, 69, who asked for a Coca-Cola upon being released. Colombian rescuers found Moisés alive, an 11-year-old boy who was three meters under the rubble.

In Caraballeda, more than 200 bodies were placed outdoors for identification. Families face costs of $350 to $450 to cremate their loved ones. The Domingo Luciani Hospital, in Caracas, cares for numerous injured people with fractures and trauma.

Colombia reported at least 24 dead citizens and repatriated 47, including 19 child athletes. Mexican rescuers ask for silence among the rubble, waiting for signs of life.

International solidarity does not cease, but the magnitude of the tragedy is still measured between pain and hope.

Official figures after the earthquakes in Venezuela

The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, updated the balance of the two earthquakes that shook the country. So far there are 1,430 deaths and 3,238 injuries. Search and rescue efforts continue in the most affected areas.

Rodríguez specified that 3,142 families were affected and are being cared for in shelters distributed in the seven affected states. In addition, 430 aftershocks of the earthquakes have been recorded.

According to the open online platform, the missing number 50,947. The official, brother of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, reiterated the call to citizens not to enter La Guaira and deposit their aid in authorized collection centers.

La Guaira: 72 hours after the earthquakes

In Caraballeda, a residential area of La Guaira, the smell of decomposition was clearly perceived on Friday night. The first 72 hours after the earthquakes had passed, a key period for life rescues.

Activists from Provea, the oldest human rights NGO in Venezuela, confirmed to ANSA that during a tour of that area “we smelled decomposition (a sign of unrecovered bodies under rubble).” In addition, they pointed out that “there are few body recovery units.”

72 hours after the two earthquakes that devastated the region, activists observed “bodies that have not yet been transferred with dignity.” They recalled that “the State has the obligation to guarantee dignified recovery operations for each victim and their families.”

The earthquakes, magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, occurred consecutively this Wednesday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located in Yaracuy, about 300 km west of Caracas, but La Guaira, just 30 km from the capital, suffered the greatest structural impact.

The head of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN, Tom Fletcher, estimated that more than 50,000 people were missing. Journalists and observers indicated that the majority is concentrated in La Guaira, where images on networks show numerous lifeless bodies.

Journalist León Hernández, who was in La Guaira on Friday, told ANSA: “I was there… there are really thousands. This Friday night the key 72 hours for rescues were completed.” He added that “in many collapsed buildings, only civil servants and volunteers have been in charge of continuing to rescue people.” He explained that “the damage is of enormous proportions, thousands of victims. I saw complete buildings from which only one person was taken alive.”

This Saturday, interim president Delcy Rodríguez said that seven states were affected, but that the catastrophe hit La Guaira. The government reported the sending of machinery and military personnel, and the closure of access to La Guaira since Friday night, justifying it for reasons of order and security. However, local activists and journalists question the prioritization and insufficient response in the first 72 hours.

Thousands of victims remain in makeshift shelters or on the streets for fear of aftershocks. The combination of debris, heat (up to 40°C) and unrecovered bodies creates an increasing health risk. The families demand transparency in the figures, dignified access to the bodies and a state response in line with the scale of the catastrophe.