Here's the latest
• Deadly quakes: The death toll from the twin quakes in Venezuela — a country mired in political and financial crisis — has risen to around 235, as rescuers race to reach survivors before the “golden window” to save people closes. The second quake was the country’s most powerful in more than a century.
• Nowhere to go: An estimated 4,300 people are injured, and many others are missing or still trapped beneath rubble. Affected residents have nowhere to go after their homes were flattened in Caracas, La Guaira and surrounding areas.
• Global response: The US military is on the ground for rescue efforts in Venezuela — where, earlier this year, special forces conducted a deadly raid to seize President Nicolás Maduro. Relief teams from around the world are also mobilizing help, and pledges of foreign aid are pouring in.
• Here’s how you can help earthquake victims.
Search continues for people trapped under the rubble
Venezuelan forces deployed in the area impacted by Wednesday’s double earthquake continue searching for people who may be trapped under the rubble.
In an interview with Venezuelan public television (VTV), Juan José Ramírez, Sectoral Vice President of Public Works and Services, explained that operations are being carried out with various machinery, such as percussion equipment that allows for controlled breaking of concrete, in the hope of finding and rescuing more people alive.
Ramírez asked the public to allow specialized civil protection teams to do their work.
“Many times, volunteers trying to help can actually make things worse,” the official said. Ramírez emphasized that the priority is “to save lives,” while efforts are also underway to restore basic services such as water and communications.
NGOs urge political prisoners’ release as quake survivors try to reach family members
Human rights agencies have escalated calls for access to and freedom for political prisoners in Venezuela, after two powerful earthquakes ripped through the South American nation on Wednesday.
Two international agencies demanded the government lift censorship on online platforms and social media channels, warning that failure to do so could cost lives.
Human Rights Watch insisted that authorities “should unblock” censored websites to “allow all detainees, including political prisoners, to communicate with their families.”
The US-based Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center requested “transparent information on the situation of political prisoners and the conditions of detention centers.”
“We reiterate our call for the immediate release of all political prisoners,” the center added.
Amnesty International echoed those demands, saying officials “must guarantee the right to life, personal integrity, and freedom while assisting the population.” Rescue workers and relatives of those detained should have access to “all detention centres” to “verify the safety of all detainees and supply basic needs, including critical health care,” the agency added.
As of May 25, more than 400 prisoners remain in custody, according to figures compiled by the nongovernmental organization Foro Penal, following years of authoritarian rule.
Remember: The two powerful quakes struck just months after US forces seized the former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, roiling political instability in a country beset by economic crises and hyperinflation.
Rescue teams from Latin American neighbors and elsewhere arrive in Venezuela
Search and rescue teams from Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and Switzerland have just arrived in Venezuela, according to state broadcaster VTV.
Rescuers are racing to reach survivors trapped in the rubble before the so-called “golden window” closes. Experts say the chances of survival without a water source diminish rapidly after the first 48 to 72 hours of someone being trapped.
The Chilean Air Force said in a statement that it deployed two flights to Venezuela with 30 rescuers from the Chilean Fire Brigade. Video released by Venezuelan authorities also shows dozens of Mexican personnel and rescue dogs arriving.
Many people unaccounted for in quake-hit Venezuela, aid director tells CNN
The search and rescue effort in quake-hit Venezuela have become a round-the-clock operation as workers try to reach those trapped in the rubble, an aid director told CNN.
Peace emphasized that such disasters have a lasting impact.
“There’s the initial impact, of course, but then the headlines go away and the problems don’t, and we often have to stay in these countries and these communities for a long time,” Peace told CNN’s Elex Michaelson.
Global response efforts for Venezuela are ramping up. Here's where things stand
Various countries are deploying rescue teams to Venezuela and pledges of foreign aid are pouring in after twin earthquakes destroyed neighborhoods and devastated communities.
The United States is deploying elite rescue teams, medical resources and humanitarian assistance. The State Department announced the US will provide $150 million in aid. And the US military is directing its forces in the region to support relief operations, including the amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale and transport aircraft.
The United Nations said it is coordinating the deployment of urban search-and-rescue teams.
Neighboring Colombia announced it would send humanitarian aid as well as more than 60 rescuers and four dogs to help with search efforts.
El Salvador sent a contingent of 300 rescuers and paramedics, and the government said it arranged the shipment of 50 metric tons of humanitarian aid, including medicine and essential supplies, Reuters reported.
Spain announced that it will send aid supplies, provide funding and deploy a field hospital. A military plane is also bringing 58 personnel from its search-and-rescue unit, eight canine units and 40 firefighters.
Chile has sent a specialized unit of the Chilean fire department, USAR (Urban Search and Rescue), to Venezuela, Reuters reported.
Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel said health personnel from Cuba are “actively cooperating in the care of the victims.”
The Dominican Republic has flown in specialized personnel and supplies, according to Reuters.
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino said he has ordered the dispatch of a rescue mission and personnel from the National Civil Protection System. Donation centers have been set up and people in Panama have been rushing to donate supplies.
Mexico sent two Mexican Air Force transport planes carrying 261 personnel, including soldiers, air force members and National Guard troops, Reuters reported. The contingent included doctors, nurses and search-and-rescue teams. Authorities said the mission is delivering 4.4 tons of equipment and 2.7 tons of medical supplies. A separate C-130 Hercules aircraft is expected to leave with another eight metric tons of medicine and four tons of rescue materials.
France said it is deploying a search-and-rescue unit, medical teams, engineers and dogs to help locate and extract survivors from collapsed buildings, according to Reuters.
Japanese NGO Peace Winds, that provides emergency humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and reconstruction support to crisis-affected areas, is on its way.
China, which has close ties to Venezuela, said it is “willing to provide assistance within its capabilities.” Chinese-funded companies in Venezuela have already mobilized to help with rescue and clean-up operations.
Pope Leo has sent an initial aid package worth 100,000 euros (roughly $113,700).
The European Union said it “stands ready” to mobilize assistance if it receives a request.
Czech Republic is sending a search and rescue team, the country’s fire service said.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced “readiness” to provide assistance in relief and rescue operations.
Various organizations and even civilian volunteers have also joined rescue efforts.
CNN’s Duarte Mendonca, Magdalena Vitores Moreno, Ivana Kottasová and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.
Tourist narrowly escapes being trapped in Caracas cable car
CNN's Erin Burnett talks to Jason Wang, an American from Nevada who survived the deadly earthquakes in Venezuela. He shares video of the moment the earthquake struck and tells Erin what he saw during his six-mile hike down a mountain in the dark.
Jason Wang, who was visiting from the US, said he was “very fortunate” to have survived the earthquake in Caracas after narrowly avoiding getting trapped in a cable car on El Ávila mountain.
“I was next in line to go into the cable car right as the earthquake was happening,” Wang told CNN. “And then the building just started to shake.” He believes around 100 people may have been stuck in the cable cars overnight after the system shutdown.
Wang, 39, from Las Vegas, said roads down the mountain were blocked by landslides and fallen trees, with citizens using machetes to clear the way. He had to walk nearly six miles back to his hotel.
He described the moment the earthquake hit as “a blur,” saying his first thought was: survival. Throughout the night, he could still feel the shocks. “I woke up a couple times with the room shaking,” he added.
In the morning, he said Caracas seemed “somber and quiet,” with people sleeping outside in fear of aftershocks.
Catch up: Rescuers race to find quake survivors before "golden window" ends
Rescuers in Venezuela are racing pull earthquake survivors from the rubble before the “golden window” to reach people buried alive closes, after which the chances of survival diminish rapidly.
Here’s what to know:
Fight to survive: Many Venezuelans in the affected areas are enduring a second night out on the streets as rescuers continue to search for those missing. Affected residents have nowhere to go after their homes were flattened in La Guaira, Caracas and surrounding areas. And many others are trapped beneath rubble. Historically, the first 48 to 72 hours after a quake are widely regarded as the “golden” window to reach people buried alive.
Global response: Various countries are deploying rescue teams to Venezuela and pledges of foreign aid are pouring in. The US military are on the ground for the relief effort — just months after seizing Maduro in a deadly raid in January. In Panama, people rushed to donate supplies to Venezuela, part of a surge across Latin America to help the stricken country.
Temporary sanctions relief: The US Treasury announced it will allow “all transactions” with Venezuela “related to earthquake relief efforts.” The easing of restrictions is authorized from June 26 through October 23.
Partial lift on social media ban: A nearly two-year ban on X in Venezuela has been partially lifted, according to a Venezuelan organization that monitors internet freedom. More than 200 websites in the country are blocked, including local and international news and social media sites.
Test for new leader: The earthquakes will test acting president Delcy Rodríguez’s dwindling promise of economic prosperity and stability, after she came to power with US support following the dramatic capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. Read the analysis here.
US Treasury temporarily lifts some sanctions on Venezuela to allow for aid after earthquakes
The US Department of the Treasury on Thursday announced it will allow “all transactions” with Venezuela “related to earthquake relief efforts.”
The partial and temporary easing of restrictions is authorized from June 26 through October 23 only, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The general license covers the processing and transfer of funds on behalf of third-country persons “to or from” Venezuela, provided they support operations covered by the specific authorization.
Venezuelans have been frustrated with the slow pace the government’s rescue response in the immediate aftermath of the twin quakes that struck Wednesday.
“People are really frustrated. They are scared because they know that they don’t have a state that will fulfill its role. So they know that nobody is going to go there and help them,” said Venezuelan economist Jorge Jraissati.
Passengers panic as earthquake shakes plane at Venezuela airport
Eyewitness video shows passengers aboard a plane at Simon Bolivar International Airport on Wednesday when earthquakes struck Venezuela.
The footage, published by Reuters, shows passengers trying to steady themselves as the plane began to rapidly shake on the tarmac.
The airport, located in Maiquetia, in the hard-hit state of La Guaira, suffered severe infrastructure damage from the quakes and was forced to temporarily close.
Quake disaster could make or break Venezuela's new leader
The once-in-a-century disaster unfolding in Venezuela will be a defining test for the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, who came to power with US support following the dramatic capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.
During her first six months in office, the long-time Maduro ally has succeeded in liberalizing the economy and winning over US President Donald Trump, earning relief from crushing sanctions.
But much of the repressive and corrupt structure in place during Maduro’s reign remains, with no concrete date set for democratic presidential elections. Depressed wages, a weak currency and hyperinflation have continued to make life difficult for ordinary Venezuelans, many of whom struggle to afford basic goods.
This week’s earthquakes will test Rodriguez’s dwindling promise of economic prosperity and stability for Venezuela.
“A disaster of this scale presents an opportunity to consolidate her position as a national leader rather than simply as Maduro’s caretaker successor,” said Tiziano Breda, Latin America and Caribbean senior analyst for Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).
Improved relations with the US and Europe could make it easier to mobilize humanitarian aid and reconstruction support for Venezuela, Breda added.
Venezuelans have viewed Maduro’s ousting as an opportunity to express discontent. More than 1,400 protests were recorded in the first half of 2026 — more than double the total for all of 2025, according to ACLED.
Venezuelan economist Jorge Jraissati said the earthquake response has been hampered because Venezuela does not “have a functioning state.”
In televised remarks after the quakes hit, Rodríguez called on Venezuelans to come together. She said: “I ask that we act in national unity and with calm, knowing that together we will overcome this tragedy.”
CNN’s Kathleen Magramo contributed to this report.
Before and after images show devastation of quakes
New satellite images shared by spatial intelligence company Vantor reveal extensive damage in the Venezuelan coastal city of La Guaira, just 10 miles north of central Caracas, following the deadly twin earthquakes.
New satellite images shared by spatial intelligence company Vantor reveal extensive damage in the Venezuelan coastal city of La Guaira, just 10 miles north of central Caracas, following deadly twin earthquakes. The death toll from the deadly double earthquakes that hit Venezuela on Wednesday has risen to around 235, according to Health Minister Carlos Alvarado.
British national in Caracas describes chaos and worry on the streets after quake
British national Dan Baker said it was “calmer” on the streets in Caracas on Thursday after the “chaos” and “worry” of Wednesday night following the devastating twin earthquakes.
Power cuts as a result of the earthquakes meant some elderly people were trapped in their apartments and with cell service down, people couldn’t communicate with their relatives, Baker told Reuters news agency from his home in the Los Palos Grandes area.
Baker was at the gym when the earthquake struck — the second quake was Venezuela’s most powerful in more than a century — and he had to walk through a closed off zone to reach his home.
“That’s when I really saw how bad it was, because I saw three tower blocks that completely collapsed. And one of them had came down over a three lane highway,” Baker told Reuters.
Baker said the community is pulling together and helping each other in whatever way they can.
Hundreds of people slept in the street Wednesday night, fearful of further quakes, he said. “People from the building were collecting things to take to the building that collapsed nearby,” Baker said.
Venezuela "has no capacity to act," says journalist as people reel from quake devastation
Venezuelans are not only reeling from the physical destruction of their country, but also a deepening lack of government coordination in the aftermath of the twin quake crisis, a Caracas-based journalist told CNN on Friday.
“The second day I feel, has been even harder than the first day because we finally realized the extent of the damage… we suspect the number of casualties is higher,” Tony Frangie Mawad said.
Mawad described a “vacuum of authority” in Venezuela and said the “state has no capacity to act.”
“The army hasn’t been widely deployed, or at least not in a visible way,” Mawad said, adding the burden of rescue and relief has fallen on civil organizations, schools, local churches, and families.
Mawad said social media has been flooded with posts of people searching for missing loved ones and calling for help in areas where rescuers have not reached yet.
Volunteer documenting rescue on Instagram urges people to wait for official updates from authorities
Working just around the corner from the Petunia apartments — one of several high rises that collapsed in the Los Palos Grandes district of Caracas — personal trainer Edwin Borges immediately jumped into action to help search and rescue operations.
He spent all Thursday clearing rubble and debris to help specialized teams enter collapsed structures and find survivors. He has been documenting his experience on Instagram, leading to a bombardment of messages from families and friends of victims desperate for updates.
“The truth is, we honestly don’t know how many are dead,” Borges told CNN. “Everyone wants to know what is happening, and it’s just difficult to give out information in our capacity [as volunteers].”
In his recent Instagram posts, Borges wrote that he had no specific information about survivors and that he would not post any names, encouraging those following him to wait for more information from authorities.
“What I can do is just share what I see,” Borges said about his Instagram posts. “It’s what us volunteers are seeing, not specifics about people.”
“Like a war": Woman rushes to coastal city to search for her father
Devastated family members in the Venezuelan coastal city of Caraballeda continue to search through rubble hoping to find loved ones a day after the devastating earthquakes.
Orianna Velásquez, who lives in Caracas, told CNN she traveled to Carabelleda on Thursday morning to search for her father. She described the damage as resembling a war zone.
“I hadn’t expected it to be like that,” she said, adding that “everything looks like it was from a war.”
Velásquez said she saw multiple bodies while searching for her father.
In footage she shared with CNN, the building where her father’s home is in appeared to have fully collapsed. Volunteer rescuers were seen sifting through wreckage.
“Never in my life did I imagine this would happen, nor have I experienced anything like it. Without a doubt, it is the most devastating thing I have ever gone through,” Velásquez said.
She has not been able to find her father and said her search will continue tomorrow morning.
"My soul is shattered": Venezuelans in Argentina pray for loved ones
Hundreds of Venezuelans living in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires have attended a special Catholic mass to pray for the victims of the earthquakes. A Venezuelan flag was placed in the steps of the altar while some seated in pews teared up during the prayers.
“My soul is shattered. My people are safe, fortunately, but we cannot think only about our own people” Tania Mendez, a Venezuelan living in the Argentine capital for a decade, told Reuters.
“I know there is a country that is crying, that is suffering right now and that needs us. Whatever little or much we can give, it needs it. Right now, prayer is what I can offer,” she added.
Voices of desperation in Venezuela as residents wait for news of missing loved ones
Yamileth Jimenez was still grieving her father, who died three days earlier, when the earthquakes left her 19-year-old son trapped in the debris of their seven-story apartment building in La Guaira, the coastal region in Venezuela that suffered some of the worst damage.
“He’s under the slabs and there’s no machinery to get him out,” Jimenez told Reuters.
She was not alone in saying official help had been slow to arrive. In Caracas, Dayana Delgado, a mother of three, asked where the heavy machinery the government had promised was, noting that neighbors were the ones digging. “I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” she told the Associated Press, of her missing 8-year-old.
In Valencia, families were stuck on the streets, unable to return home.
“We saw so many families on the streets crying with their suitcases and children,” Dariana Zambrano-Vivas, a resident, told CNN’s Elex Michaelson.
Across La Guaira, volunteers clawed through the wreckage with bare hands as families waited for word of missing relatives. Juan Alberto Mendaño, a retired schoolteacher, climbed through the rubble, past a dead body, when he spotted a woman signaling for help, the AP reported.
People looking for loved ones on Venezuela streets, aid worker tells CNN
NGO worker Claudia Manresa was at a mall with a colleague and her dog in the Chacao municipality in Caracas when two earthquakes hit Venezuela.
Recounting the terrifying moment, Manresa said a large wall of glass collapsed behind them as shoppers and diners tried to find cover.
She added that in the aftermath of the earthquakes, there were electricity shortage problems and people were desperately trying to contact their loved ones. Several unofficial websites have sprung up for people to host pictures of their missing relatives.
“As a Venezuelan, this hit us really hard and it’s heartbreaking to see thousands and thousands of people injured, looking for their family members and their loved ones,” said Manresa, who is a regional leader and compliance manager for Project HOPE.
Manresa added that Wednesday was a national holiday in Venezuela, and many people might have traveled to La Guiara to spend their time on the beach when the devastating twin earthquakes hit.
Japanese NGO sending team to Venezuela says first 72 hours is vital
A small team from Peace Winds Japan, a non-governmental organization that provides emergency humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and reconstruction support to crisis-affected areas, is on its way to Venezuela, planning to travel through various countries.
Peace Winds spokesperson Manami Yokokawa told CNN that “when a disaster strikes, there’s a so-called ‘72-hour window’ which is critical. In disaster rescue operations, it’s extremely important to determine how many lives can be saved within that 72-hour period.”
Yokokawa said that when people are trapped in collapsed buildings, “there’s a high probability they’ll lose their lives if more than 72 hours pass.”
Twin quakes hit Venezuela shortly after 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, so rescuers are still working within the 72-hour window.
Yokokawa said Peace Winds would also join relief efforts after the 72-hour period, because “it’s likely that damage has occurred in various places on the ground—such as hospitals and infrastructure—so we’ll need to provide assistance once we’ve assessed the extent of the damage.”
The quakes have already tested Venezuela’s health system, which has been undergoing a long crisis due to years of deterioration and lack of investment. First images showed overwhelmed hospitals, with improvised wards in hallways and even on the street due to the large number of wounded.
US military are on the ground in Venezuela for quake relief – just months after seizing its leader
A Marine Corps general arrived in Caracas on Thursday to help lead the US military’s earthquake relief effort in Venezuela – where, barely six months ago, US special forces conducted a deadly raid to seize President Nicolás Maduro.
Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard, the senior Southern Command official on the ground, will “plan, coordinate, and direct” the flow of rescue teams, equipment and aid into the hardest-hit areas, the military said. US aircraft are ferrying search crews and supplies alongside State Department personnel leading the broader response.
Southern Command, which oversees US military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, said it was “surging” forces into the region at the interim government’s request.
Former foes: The military cooperation is a stark illustration of the recent reversal in the relationship between the US and Venezuela.
In January, US forces stormed Caracas, descending on the Fort Tiuna military complex under heavy fire and seizing Maduro and his wife in a raid that ended more than a decade of his rule.
Multiple people were killed in that operation, including Venezuelan soldiers and many of Maduro’s Cuban bodyguards. No US personnel were killed.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up help to Venezuela following Thursday’s quake.
“We took over Venezuela in less than one day, and the oil is flowing, and we’re getting along with them great,” Trump said in remarks from the Rose Garden Thursday evening.
