Venezuela Quake Death Toll Climbs to 589

The death toll from two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela has risen to 589, with thousands more injured as rescue teams and local residents continue an urgent search for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The latest casualty figures were announced on Friday during a press briefing attended by senior government and military officials. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said emergency services were working around the clock to rescue those still believed to be buried under the rubble, while humanitarian assistance was being expanded across the worst-affected regions.

“We are working tirelessly to rescue people trapped beneath the debris,” Rodríguez said, thanking domestic and international rescue teams for joining the emergency response.

The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck on Wednesday evening, causing widespread devastation across several parts of the country. According to the acting president, La Guaira state has suffered the most severe destruction, with extensive damage to homes, public buildings and infrastructure.

As search-and-rescue operations enter a critical phase, officials have warned that the death toll is likely to increase. Thousands of people remain unaccounted for, raising fears that many more victims could still be trapped beneath collapsed structures.

Alongside rescue efforts, emergency crews are distributing food, drinking water and other essential supplies to survivors who have been displaced by the disaster. Temporary shelters have also been established in affected areas as thousands of families remain unable to return to their homes.

Rescue workers have managed to pull dozens of people alive from the rubble, reuniting them with anxious relatives after hours—or in some cases days—of uncertainty. Speaking to government officials, members of the rescue teams described those moments as the most rewarding part of their work despite the overwhelming scale of the tragedy.

Across devastated neighbourhoods, local residents have joined the search effort, digging through collapsed buildings with shovels and bare hands in the hope of finding missing family members, friends and neighbours before time runs out. The community-led response has become a defining feature of the disaster, with volunteers working alongside professional rescue crews despite the dangers posed by unstable buildings and aftershocks.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that as many as 6.76 million people could be affected by the earthquakes nationwide. Nearly two million of those are believed to be in the capital, Caracas, where significant structural damage has also been reported.

Humanitarian agencies have expressed growing concern about the needs of displaced communities. Loyce Pace, Regional Director for the Americas at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said many residents remain too frightened to return to their homes because of continuing aftershocks and fears that damaged buildings could collapse.

Emergency response efforts have been further complicated by damaged roads, disrupted communications and the enormous scale of destruction across multiple regions. Authorities continue to prioritise rescue operations while assessing the full extent of the damage to essential infrastructure.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has warned that the final death toll could exceed 10,000 based on the magnitude of the earthquakes, the estimated population exposed and the level of structural damage. Such projections are preliminary and intended to estimate the potential scale of the disaster rather than predict a confirmed casualty figure.

In response to the catastrophe, Acting President Rodríguez has declared a nationwide state of emergency, enabling the government to mobilise additional resources and coordinate relief efforts more effectively.

With rescue operations still under way and thousands of people listed as missing, officials have cautioned that the human cost of one of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in recent history is likely to become clearer only in the days ahead. For countless families waiting anxiously outside collapsed buildings, the search continues, fuelled by hope that more survivors can still be found.