Venezuela’s recent earthquakes have left 920 dead and over 50,000 missing, according to The Jerusalem Post, though La Guaira state, near Caracas, has become a disaster zone, with electricity scarce and rescue efforts hampered. The state’s main airport was closed due to damage, and witnesses reported scenes of panic as ceilings collapsed.

Rescue Efforts Struggle Without Resources

Rescue workers and volunteers are struggling to locate survivors due to a lack of heavy machinery, with many digging with their hands — Pedro Pérez, a 64-year-old upholstery workshop owner, described losing everything, including his home and business. “We have no food or medicines,” he said. Yamileth Jimenez, a La Guaira resident, said her 19-year-old son was trapped under rubble. “He’s under the slabs, and there’s no machinery to get him out,” she said, adding that her father had died just three days earlier.

International Aid and Complex Rescue Operations

Almost 48 hours after the quakes, rescue teams from at least 17 countries have begun to mobilize, with teams from El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador already on the ground. Venezuela’s state media reported that aid is also coming from Chile and Switzerland. The UN’s head of humanitarian aid described the rescue operation as “extremely complex.”

Volunteers and residents are doing their best to deal with the wreckage, but they lack the tools to cut through steel rebar or move large concrete blocks. “¡Necesitamos máquinas… personas!” shouted a group of residents near a collapsed building in La Guaira. In Playa Grande, Pedro Luis Pérez, 41, said he needed masks due to the putrid smell from bodies trapped in the rubble.

Government Response and Ongoing Challenges

Venezuela’s government reported more than 1,423 damaged buildings and 13 hospitals affected in La Guaira. President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, thanked international rescue teams and local volunteers for their efforts. He also dismissed claims that the tragedy was being politicized. “This is the most significant tragedy in recent decades,” he said.

According to 20minutos.es, 3,360 people were injured and 172 remained trapped. Five Spaniards were among the fatalities. Rodríguez said that over 4,000 people had been affected by the earthquakes and that more than 800 rescuers and 30 dogs from different countries were deployed. The government has urged calm, stating that the situation should not be used to generate fear or instability.