Venezuela Rescuers Save Children Amid Ongoing Earthquake Aftermath Operations

More than 85 hours after two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela last Wednesday, rescue teams successfully extracted two 11-year-old children from collapsed buildings. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced the second rescue and shared footage of one child being carried on a stretcher. Earlier, a boy named Moises was rescued after being trapped under three meters of rubble in Caraballeda, where rescuers worked for six hours to reach him. Reports indicate he was found near the bodies of his mother and sister.

Since the twin earthquakes, at least 1,430 people have died and tens of thousands remain missing. Despite the time elapsed, rescue efforts continue with hopes of finding survivors who may have access to food and water. Many families are independently searching for loved ones, often without protective equipment, while awaiting heavy machinery to clear concrete debris.

Relief efforts are concentrated in the hardest-hit La Guaira region. A golf course in Caraballeda has been converted into an emergency center serving as a field hospital, humanitarian aid distribution point, and helicopter landing zone for medical teams and supplies. Additionally, the Jose Maria Vargas sports complex functions as a military logistics hub managing food, medicine, and equipment distribution.

Ongoing aftershocks have heightened tension among survivors, who express frustration over slow debris removal in some areas. To bolster operations, international rescue teams from Mexico, Spain, Qatar, the United States, and the United Kingdom have arrived. UN representative Tom Fletcher reported that 39 search teams totaling around 2,000 personnel, supported by sniffer dogs and drones, are actively searching for more trapped victims.