After two powerful earthquakes, rescue teams from around the world race against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble.
In a city north of Venezuela’s capital, faint voices can be heard from beneath destroyed buildings.
People search for victims among the rubble of collapsed buildings, June 25, 2026, after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela. ()
The region is a disaster zone after two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck less than a minute apart on Wednesday evening local time.
The death toll has risen to at least 920 people, with thousands potentially missing.
“I am alone in this life,” Omar Reyes said as he walked through the ruins where his two children were buried.
He told The Associated Press that about 20 family members died in the disaster.
Rescuers from all over the world have been sent to Venezuela.() A woman walks past a building damaged during the June 2026 earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela.() An injured woman walks through La Guaira, Venezuela, the day after an earthquake struck the area.()
For some, time ran out before help could arrive to pull them from the rubble.
Others are still trapped and volunteers are digging with their bare hands to find them.
“They are still alive… there is nothing more we can do,” one resident, Antonio Bermuzez, told AFP.
“We don’t have any tools. We have no way to help.”
Residents and rescue workers clear debris after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, June 2026. ()
Nazareth Jimenez sobbed into her loved one’s shoulder as she watched neighbors try to cut through concrete slabs with hammers and power tools.
“Oh my God, how do we get them out of there?” she muttered, wracked with anxiety as she waited to see if her siblings, nephews, nieces and friends would make it out of the rubble alive.
The victim was taken to the Perez Carreno hospital after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela.() A man rescued from a collapsed building is treated in an ambulance after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela. ()
Children arrive at hospitals alone, some with identifying information taped to their arms.
At least eight hospitals were reported to be seriously damaged.
Those who managed to escape gathered with their salvaged property in field hospitals, campsites and sports stadiums.
People talk during treatment at a field hospital after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 2026. ()
Many were at home when the earthquakes occurred, including Maria Alejandra, a Caracas resident who did not give her last name.
“When we came down, the scene was like a horror movie,” she told Reuters.
Buildings cracked, collapsed and tilted dangerously, and powerful tremors continued into the next day.
A building collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal city about 30 kilometers north of Caracas, on Wednesday local time.() A view of the remains of buildings damaged by earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 25, 2026. () A man reacts amid the rubble of a building after the country’s earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela.()
Forecast modeling from the USGS shows the death toll will likely rise into the thousands.
The search continues until late at night. In many areas, telephone communications and electricity supplies have been cut off.
But offers of help poured in from all over the world.
Members of the Chilean Fire Service’s urban search and rescue team are preparing to travel to Venezuela after Chilean authorities activated humanitarian assistance protocol following the devastating June 2026 earthquakes. ()
UN-certified rescuers, specialists from Spain and France, as well as German military transport aircraft are on the way.
Members of a Mexican Army search and rescue team travel to Venezuela. () Swiss troops are being briefed before leaving Zurich to head to Venezuela to help with earthquake relief efforts. () Members of USAR COLOMBIA (Urban Search and Rescue) in Bogota are preparing to provide assistance to Venezuela after the country’s earthquake. ()
The United States said it was sending two warships, transport planes and helicopters and providing US$150 million ($217 million) in aid.
ABC/Reuters/AFP