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Two Boys Among 33 Rescued From Venezuela Quake Rubble as Toll Hits 1,430
Rescue teams in Venezuela freed two 11-year-old boys from under rubble this weekend as part of efforts that saved 33 people following twin earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday according to officials cited by Reuters and the BBC. The back-to-back tremors registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 within 39 seconds of each other and caused widespread destruction across the coastal La Guaira region where at least 1,430 deaths have been confirmed and more than 51,000 people remain missing Al Jazeera reported on Saturday. International assistance has poured in with teams from the United States Mexico Spain Qatar and the United Kingdom joining local and United Nations operations a Reuters dispatch noted.
The first boy identified as Moises was extracted after six hours of precise work by a Colombian UNGRD team on Saturday in La Guaira where he had been buried under three metres of debris near his deceased mother and sister the BBC reported. Hours later interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced the rescue of another 11-year-old in Caraballeda via a video posted on X showing the boy being carried on a stretcher down the wreckage. Rodríguez stated in the announcement “In these hours every life is hope for Venezuela”.
According to UN News nearly seven million Venezuelans could be affected by the disaster prompting a major humanitarian response as the 72-hour critical rescue window closed over the weekend. The United Nations deployed 39 search teams comprising 2,000 personnel 111 dogs and specialized equipment including micro-drones UN coordinator Tom Fletcher told reporters on Saturday. Venezuelan officials have declared a state of emergency and are coordinating aid distribution at facilities like the José María Vargas sports complex in La Guaira where armed forces are sorting supplies of food medicine and clothing according to Rodríguez’s announcements reported by the BBC.
American search-and-rescue teams separately pulled a nine-month-old infant alive from beneath the rubble days after the quakes along with her mother the US State Department said in a statement carried by CNN and Fox News on Saturday. The department also confirmed three American citizens among the dead according to Fox News reporting. Additional rescues included a four-year-old boy and his parents who had been trapped for more than 24 hours NBC News reported highlighting operations that continued beyond the initial weekend tally of 33 people saved.
Al Jazeera figures show more than 3,300 people had been injured as of Friday with the toll expected to rise as crews continued sifting through collapsed structures in hard-hit areas such as Caribe and Tanaguarena. Residents expressed frustration over the slow pace of debris removal in some neighborhoods local accounts gathered by BBC journalists indicated. Despite the challenges rescuers have not abandoned hope for those who may still have access to food and water in pockets beneath the ruins according to statements from emergency officials reported by multiple outlets.
The earthquakes represent Venezuela’s most powerful in nearly six decades according to historical comparisons cited in CNN coverage exacerbating existing vulnerabilities in the country’s infrastructure. A website set up to track missing persons listed over 50,000 unaccounted for initially though 8,000 have since been located NBC News reported citing the platform’s data. Global aid pledges have included support from the Pentagon delivered by air and sea the Los Angeles Times noted in its coverage of the international response.
