The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, has risen to more than 1,400 as international rescue teams continue searching for survivors in the country's hardest-hit coastal areas, Reuters reported.
Authorities said more than 1,600 foreign rescue workers have arrived in Venezuela, with additional teams expected in the coming days, expanding the international response to the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes and the hundreds of aftershocks that followed.
Rescue operations continued on Saturday across La Guaira state and parts of Caracas, where families, volunteers and emergency workers have spent days searching through collapsed buildings for survivors and victims. Many residents have complained about a shortage of heavy equipment and a limited official response in some areas.
In Caraballeda, one of the communities worst affected by the disaster, Reuters journalists witnessed U.S. military helicopters transporting rescue teams to the area before returning for additional missions.
Among the volunteers was 33-year-old industrial engineer Alejandro Serrano, who traveled from San Cristobal in western Venezuela in search of his 24-year-old sister, Ana Serrano. She had been living in the Bahía Mar apartment building in Caraballeda, which collapsed during the earthquakes.
Serrano said he searched hospitals in Caracas without success and had provided his sister's information to rescue teams from Argentina and El Salvador.
"I hope they don't find her" in the rubble, Serrano said, expressing hope that she is still alive.
Many residents remain afraid to return home because of ongoing aftershocks.
Beisy Rivas, a 60-year-old resident of the Los Corales area, said most families have been sleeping outdoors since the earthquakes struck.
"Since the night of the earthquakes, almost all the neighbors have been sleeping in the street because of the aftershocks," she said.
Another resident, Yendri Santana, said her sister survived after losing her home, adding that many families had lost everything despite escaping with their lives.
Authorities have continued restricting access to La Guaira and maintaining checkpoints on the main highway from Caracas, saying traffic congestion could delay emergency vehicles. Only authorized rescue personnel are permitted to enter some disaster zones.
Electricity has gradually been restored across parts of the affected region, although Venezuela's aging power grid continues to suffer frequent outages after years of underinvestment and economic sanctions.
While the Venezuelan government has reported hundreds of people missing or trapped, an opposition-backed online registry lists more than 55,000 people as unaccounted for.
The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that the final death toll from the earthquakes could exceed 10,000, potentially making them among the deadliest natural disasters in Latin America over the past century.
The disaster is also expected to carry political implications for interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed office after former President Nicolas Maduro was removed from power and arrested by U.S. authorities in January 2026.
Speaking in Rome on Saturday, Pope Leo offered prayers for the victims, their families and rescue workers, while calling for continued international solidarity with Venezuela.
The United States has already dispatched humanitarian assistance to Venezuela. A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters that Washington is expected to announce an additional aid package worth hundreds of millions of dollars within days, supplementing the $150 million already committed by the Trump administration.
Reuters also reported that U.S. officials have shown little interest in immediately supporting renewed efforts by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to return to the country, saying the priority remains humanitarian relief following the disaster.
