Venezuela Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 235, IMF Says Monitoring Recovery Efforts on Debt Relief

Neighbours in cities across northern Venezuela spent Thursday digging through rubble in search of loved ones after two powerful earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening, killing around 235 people, injuring at least 4,300 and leaving thousands missing, officials said.

The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century and were felt across the region.

The coastal region of La Guaira, north of Caracas, was among the worst hit, with extensive damage and a high number of casualties. The country's main airport, located there, was shut due to damage, making relief operations more difficult. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, while several countries pledged aid and rescue teams began arriving.

Across the affected areas, residents joined rescue efforts, searching collapsed buildings for survivors. Injured people, including children and animals, were pulled out covered in dust and blood.

Venezuelan state television showed dramatic rescue scenes, including a woman trapped beneath a concrete slab with only one bare foot visible before rescuers pulled her out alive. However, outside Caracas, few government rescue teams were initially seen.

Dayana Delgado, a mother of three, questioned where the heavy machinery promised by officials was, saying residents themselves were digging through collapsed buildings. "I want to know where my child is, if he's trapped or in a shelter," she said about her missing eight-year-old son.

Elsewhere, one mother broke down as the bodies of her three-year-old and 10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away, while others shouted the names of missing relatives or stood in shock.

Authorities said rescue teams from other parts of the country were being deployed to La Guaira, which had already suffered one of Venezuela's worst natural disasters when a mudslide killed thousands in 1999. Cristian Carreo stood looking at his charred apartment building, leaning sharply to one side. "I lost everything," he said. "There are people still inside, I imagine, who couldn't get out. It's incredibly devastating."

Retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendao climbed through the wreckage and passed a dead body before spotting a trapped woman signalling with her hand. "May God rescue her as quickly as possible," he said. "When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do."

The disaster is the latest challenge for Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after Nicolás Maduro's capture. Venezuela has faced economic turmoil for more than a decade, and many people continue to reject the legitimacy of thepolitical movement she represents.

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