Here's the latest
• Death toll: At least 1,450 people have died since last week’s devastating earthquakes in Venezuela. CNN is on the ground in La Guaira and Caracas, where teams are digging through the rubble as part of frantic rescue efforts.
• Glimmers of hope: Search efforts have provided some moments of jubilation, including the rescue of an infant and a woman trapped for over three days. Officials are hoping a surge of foreign aid and responders will bolster emergency workers and help address humanitarian needs.
• Struggling institutions: The disaster has compounded issues from years of economic and political strife, particularly for the overwhelmed healthcare system.
• Here’s how you can help earthquake victims.
Watch the moment a mother and 18-day-old baby are rescued
A mother and her newborn baby were incredibly rescued from a collapsed building in La Guaira on Friday, some 30 hours after Venezuela’s calamitous earthquakes.
“You’re a powerhouse,” someone can be heard cheering in a video of the rescue obtained by the Associated Press.
Both Dayana Patino and her baby son Juan David Trujillo were in a stable condition on Sunday in hospital in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, AP reported.
A video on Saturday captured the moment another baby was pulled alive from the rubble of a building by American search and rescue teams.
In pictures: La Guaira state devastated by earthquakes
Venezuela’s coastal state of La Guaira was hardest hit in the massive twin earthquakes on Wednesday.
Venezuela is in such dire straits, it can’t afford to reject aid from friends or foes
Four hours after the earthquakes hit, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced he had offered aid to Venezuela to help deal with the aftermath.
Ninety minutes later, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez retweeted the message from the Central American leader – a man whom the regime’s Chavista movement has long regarded as a political nemesis – instructing Venezuela’s foreign ministry to coordinate the support.
Beyond the solidarity such tragedies inspire and the accompanying political rhetoric, Rodríguez has little room to turn away any government willing to lend a hand during this crisis.
The earthquakes have compounded problems created by years of economic and political strife, particularly for the overwhelmed healthcare system. The South American nation’s economic situation is critical, following disastrous fiscal management and the imposition of US economic sanctions on the Central Bank of Venezuela and the state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Between 2013 and 2021, the country’s economy shrank by three-quarters.
After Wednesday’s quakes, rescue teams from around the world have poured into the country, including from the US and several Latin American countries.
US President Donald Trump declared the US was “ready, willing, and able to help,” even before Rodríguez publicly asked for assistance, showing the growing influence of the White House in the South American nation.
Venezuelans have voiced frustration over the government’s delayed response and lack of heavy machinery to recover loved ones. Given the scale of the tragedy and the size of its foreign debt, Venezuela needs far more than the aid now arriving to assist those affected and rebuild its infrastructure.
Rescuers persist but desperation mounts for loved ones still trapped
Survivors of Venezuela’s twin earthquakes continue to be pulled from the rubble but frustration is growing for those who remain trapped, with the rescue effort entering its fifth full day on Monday.
At least 1,450 people are confirmed dead, according to a Sunday update from National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, who said 3,150 others are injured. At least 12,721 people have lost their homes.
UNICEF estimates 680,000 children are in need of humanitarian assistance and aid groups have emphasized the need for psychological care.
Here’s the latest:
- CNN witnesses rescue: Our team on the ground in Venezuela saw the moment a person was rescued from a collapsed building in La Guaira state, the area hardest hit by the quakes.
- Miracle workers: After 86 hours under the rubble, a woman was pulled out alive in Caraballeda, La Guaira. Video appeared to show rescuers placing the woman onto a stretcher and moving her onto an ambulance. On Saturday, an 11-month-old baby was rescued from the ruins of a building.
- Hope persists: US rescuers from Virginia listened intently on Sunday for signs of life amid the ruins of a multi-story building in La Guaira. They heard two distinct taps –– what they believe is the sound of someone trapped. Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez said electricity service has been restored to the state by 75%, potable water by 68% and road infrastructure by 90%.
- Soccer players’ loss: Two soccer players in Venezuela have suffered devastating losses from the earthquakes. Argentine athlete Lucas Trejo lost his wife and two children, while Héctor Bello’s partner died protecting their toddler.
- Families frustrated: While some families have been reunited, others are becoming frustrated with a lack of heavy machinery and speedy government response as they endure an agonizing wait for news of loved ones who remain missing.
- “Golden window” closes: It’s been more than three days since the earthquakes hit Venezuela, which means the critical window to reach people buried alive has closed. The first 48 to 72 hours are widely regarded as the “golden” window to reach survivors. Then, the chances of survival without a water source diminish rapidly.
CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Isaac Tellechea, Osmary Hernández and Stefano Pozzebon contributed reporting.
What the CNN team witnessed during a rescue operation in La Guaira
A CNN team on the ground in Venezuela witnessed the moment a person was rescued from the rubble of a building in the hard-hit coastal city of La Guaira.
Onlookers were silent as a human chain of civil defense workers and volunteers carefully extracted the person from within the ruins. One worker raised his fist when he saw the victim – indicating that the person rescued is alive. They were quickly given an IV and shuttled into a waiting ambulance for further medical attention.
The relief was palpable among rescue workers and bystanders alike. The window for finding survivors in the ruins is closing fast more than four days after the devastating earthquakes. One man, Hernán Sandoval, said he’s spent two straight days digging, trying to find his “children, nephews, and other family members.”
“Venezuela was not prepared for this. We were not even prepared for a flu, honestly,” Sandoval said. “We are still here, continuing to dig, hoping to find any body or any sign. But faith is the last thing you lose.”
How rescuers in La Guaira listen for signs of life under rubble
Rescue workers from Fairfax County, Virginia listened carefully on Sunday for any sign of life amid the rubble of a multi-storey building in La Guaira, Venezuela. They heard two distinct taps – what they believe is the sound of someone trapped within the collapsed structure.
Nobody around dared speak or shout. Listening for survivors requires near-total silence, and time is running out more than three days after the two intensely destructive earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks. The 72 hour period after a disaster like this is generally considered the “golden window” for rescue. The chance of finding living victims within the rubble is now extremely slim.
Miracles do happen, however, with an 11-month-old baby rescued from the ruins of a building on Saturday. It gives La Guaira reason to hope, but older residents remember the traumatic events of December 1999, when thousands disappeared after the state was hit with intense flooding and mudslides. In the wake of that tragedy, it took months for the scale of destruction to reveal itself, and the Venezuelan government never released an official death toll.
The global humanitarian response is growing. Here's the latest
As Venezuelan first responders, civilian volunteers and rescue teams from around the world continue to search through the rubble, an evolving humanitarian response is trying to meet the needs of survivors in hard-hit areas.
A series of rescue operations unfolded in Venezuela following last week's powerful twin earthquakes. At least 1,450 people have died after back-to-back 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes hit the South American country, according to Venezuela's top lawmaker.
Here’s a roundup of some of the latest relief efforts:
- Spain’s Armed Forces said search dogs had been essential in rescue operations. Countries around the world have sent 2,624 rescue workers and 137 search dogs, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said on Sunday.
- Peru’s Ministry of Defense said it sent more than 14 tons of humanitarian aid to support affected families.
- Thirty-two specially trained military personnel were sent from Paraguay to help the search and rescue effort. Defense Minister Óscar González said the recent severing of diplomatic relations with Venezuela did not pose “any obstacle” in coordinating the aid.
- The US said it was sending a specialized Air Force response team to help Venezuela restore operations at its damaged airport.
- Starlink announced that the company is offering free internet access to Movistar customers in La Guaria state, and is working to also provide service to Digitel and Movilnet customers as soon as possible. The US has been working to get more Starlink terminals into the country.
CNN’s Catherine Nicholls, Laura Sharman and Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.
