The death toll in Venezuela rises as the search for earthquake survivors enters its third day

The situation is growing more desperate by the hour in Venezuela, as people dig through the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings three days after twin earthquakes struck the country.

Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, said on Saturday afternoon that the death toll had risen to 1,430. He added that another 3,238 people were injured.

Venezuelans have taken the search for missing loved ones into their own hands, citing a dearth of government rescuers. Relief agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours a crucial time frame to recover people alive, although this can be extended if they have access to food and water.

Venezuelans reported seeing few government rescue teams in the worst-hit areas, although authorities expected a picture of a strong government response. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the Venezuelan government is making a full response during these “critical hours to save people alive” and welcomed the arrival of international rescuers and humanitarian aid.

Diana Sandrano told “CBS Saturday Morning” that her brother had been missing for two days. The earthquake destroyed the building where he lived. Rescuers and search dogs combed the building while she prayed for a miracle. Sandrano said she would search for him “as long as it takes.”

“He deserves to live and have a future,” Sandrano said after a day of searching.

The Caracas government said more than 200 people have been rescued so far. But about 51,000 people are still missing. This number likely includes people who have been unable to contact loved ones due to a lack of mobile phone signals, and some reports may be duplicates.

The International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the quakes, including about two million people in Caracas alone.

Residents and rescue workers search through rubble in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Friday, June 26, 2026. Juan Pablo Arez via Associated Press Officials block access to the epicenter as families wait and hope

Authorities announced Friday night that they would block access to La Guaira, the epicenter of the devastation north of Caracas, as chaos and traffic began to hamper search efforts. Anyone who wants to enter will now have to seek official permits, but he has provided few details on who will be allowed inside.

Rodriguez said government officials are distributing food and water in the area. She added that La Guaira has been militarized and more help is on the way, even as residents say that is just a fraction of what they need.

Nazareth Jimenez cried on a family member’s shoulder as she watched neighbors use hammers and power tools to try to cut through concrete slabs in a building that was reduced to a mountain of debris. She became anxious as she waited to see if her brothers, nephews, nieces and friends would make it out alive.

“Oh my God, how are we going to get them out of there?” Jimenez said.

Jimenez demanded machines capable of moving collapsed structures.

“We are making an appeal for help to the government and countries around the world,” she said. “There are still people alive there.”

Residents search through rubble in Catia la Mar, Venezuela on Friday, June 26, 2026. Fernando Vergara via AP

Omar Reyes said that about 20 family members died in the disaster.

“I am left alone in this life,” Reyes said as he walked through the rubble where two of his sons were buried.

The two quakes occurred within a minute, and many people did not have time to evacuate their buildings, Emil Okal, a professor emeritus at Northwestern University, told CBS News. The shallow depth of the earthquakes resulted in a massive impact on the surface.

The two quakes were also followed by a series of aftershocks, including a 4.5-magnitude earthquake recorded on Friday. “People are still afraid to return to their homes,” said Louis Pace, the International Red Cross’s regional director for the Americas.

Earthquakes exacerbate economic and political unrest

The disaster poses a major challenge for Rodriguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the arrest and ouster of then-President Nicolas Maduro by the United States. Venezuela has faced economic chaos for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement that Rodriguez represents.

In the city of Maiquetia, people lined up outside stores and pharmacies serving them one by one behind closed doors. At one point, a woman threw herself to the ground from a crowd of people to protect a box of diapers with her body, in a desperate attempt to hold onto it.

Traffic and crowds of motorcyclists at times disrupted search efforts. Mexican soldiers and volunteers repeatedly asked to remain silent to try to hear signs of life under the rubble, but motorcyclists – civilians and uniforms – continued to honk their horns and rev their engines.

This set of satellite images shows buildings in Carabaleda, Venezuela on December 28, 2025, left, and on Friday, June 26, 2026, after an earthquake. Satellite image © 2026 Vantor via AP

Some people began carrying essential goods such as toilet paper and food from stores in Catia la Mar, a neighborhood in La Guaira with more than 200 residential towers. Others crowded into a civilian truck that was distributing bread and water, until a soldier intervened. The pharmacy parking lot was turned into a temporary shelter equipped with tarps, hammocks and tents.

A few miles away, Yolde Cadenas, 28, stood across the street in front of a collapsed public housing building, hoping her son, mother and brother would be pulled out alive.

She escaped barefoot from another building as it collapsed on Wednesday and found her mother’s 12-story tower had collapsed.

“I climbed over the rubble and asked them to answer the screams, but no one did, neither my brother, nor my son, nor my mother,” Cadenas said.

International rescuers bring resources and experience

Venezuelan authorities said on Friday that 861 volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and other countries are in the country, and that more are coming from elsewhere.

Rodriguez said she spoke with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and they confirmed their commitment to sending rescue teams and aid equipment.

A senior administration official said on Saturday that it had deployed two search and rescue teams consisting of 80 people each, one from Fairfax County, Virginia, and the other from Los Angeles. Teams from Miami were also responding with approximately 250 specialized civilian rescuers, the official said.

The State Department has already announced $150 million in aid. An additional nine-figure financing package is expected to be announced in the next day or so, the official said.

Meanwhile, aid planes began landing at Simón Bolívar International Airport, according to the official. The airport was closed for several days after the quakes, but two runways were opened on Saturday, the official said.

Mobile hospitals, including hospitals run by relief organizations, are expected to land at the airport, and humanitarian supplies are being increased, the official said. The amphibious warship, the USS Fort Lauderdale, is stationed off the country’s coast to allow for more operations around La Guaira, the official said.

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