‘Urgent support needed’: Venezuela quake toll near 600, and hundreds more missing
The death toll from the devastating double earthquake that struck Venezuela’s Caribbean coast climbed to at least 589 people early Friday, with 2,980 injured, as rescue crews raced to locate survivors buried under rubble and humanitarian agencies warned the disaster’s full scale is still unfolding.
Authorities said at least 157 people remain officially listed as missing, while 200 are believed trapped beneath collapsed structures, raising fears the final number of victims could climb significantly in coming days.
But the true number of unaccounted-for people may be far higher. According to social media posts and online missing-person registries, thousands of Venezuelans are desperately trying to determine what happened to relatives and friends amid widespread communications outages, damaged infrastructure and chaotic rescue conditions.
The earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude — struck just 39 seconds apart, devastating large parts of Caracas and neighboring La Guaira, where officials say destruction remains especially severe.
The government reported that at least 2,927 families have been displaced, 250 buildings were severely damaged or collapsed, and eight hospitals have been affected, some bad enough to require evacuation.
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In La Guaira alone, more than 100 buildings collapsed, according to the government, making the coastal state the epicenter of the destruction.
More than 100 heavy machinery units have been mobilized to help remove debris and reach victims trapped beneath collapsed structures, while authorities said 11,500 security personnel were deployed to support rescue, recovery and security operations.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez visited La Guaira on Thursday alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, touring some of the hardest-hit areas amid growing frustration over limited official information regarding casualties and damage assessments.
Emergency crews continue searching damaged residential towers, apartment blocks and commercial buildings in La Guaira, Caracas, Miranda and Carabobo, where some of the worst structural failures have been reported.
The scale of destruction has prompted increasingly dire assessments from international experts.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the eventual death toll could reach into the thousands. And concerns over missing people remain intense.
A website created by Venezuelan opposition leaders to help families locate missing relatives listed more than 24,000 people as unaccounted for Friday morning. The figure doesn’t represent confirmed disappearances.
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International rescue effort expands
The international response accelerated Thursday as around 16 countries sent search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela.
The United Nations said 25 rescue teams totaling more than 1,000 personnel are either already in Venezuela or on the way to assist in recovery efforts.
Of those teams, 17 are specialized urban search-and-rescue units, arriving from Switzerland, the United States, the Netherlands, France, Qatar, the Czech Republic, Germany, Jordan, the United Kingdom, Spain, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, El Salvador and Mexico. UN officials said rescue teams from the United States, Italy, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and Chile had already arrived, while others were expected over the next several days.
The United States has emerged as one of the largest contributors to the response.
The State Department announced $100 million in emergency funding for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Venezuela, plus an additional $50 million for on-the-ground operations. Washington also temporarily authorized transactions with Venezuela normally prohibited under U.S. sanctions, provided they are directly related to earthquake relief.
Because Maiquetía International Airport, the main air gateway serving Caracas, remains closed due to structural damage, U.S. officials are coordinating closely with the Pentagon on logistics and airlift operations.
On Thursday night, Venezuelan state television confirmed the arrival of rescue personnel from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, marking the first wave of foreign responders on the ground.
Humanitarian crisis deepens
The earthquake is rapidly becoming a major humanitarian emergency.
Tom Fletcher, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, described conditions in the disaster zone as “truly terrifying devastation.”
“The situation on the ground is one of truly terrifying devastation,” Fletcher said. “The challenge was already enormous. This makes it much, much harder, but our total focus is on this emergency response.”
Before the earthquake, U.N. agencies were already providing humanitarian assistance to roughly 8 million people in Venezuela.
Now, the disaster threatens to overwhelm already strained health and social support systems.
The U.N. migration agency estimated that up to 6.76 million people may have been affected by the earthquakes, including about 2 million in Caracas alone.
“The buildings have collapsed and critical infrastructure has been damaged, limiting access to basic services,” said Zoe Brennan, spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration. “While assessments continue, it is already clear displacement will increase as more communities are affected and people seek safety.”
The U.N. refugee agency also warned that vulnerable populations face heightened risk.
The agency noted that authorities in La Guaira reported the collapse of a temporary shelter housing about 140 recently returned Venezuelans, many of whom had arrived from the United States.
“We are especially concerned about the impact on returnees, who were already facing serious challenges reintegrating even before this disaster,” said Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for UNHCR.
The agency said it had requested $45 million in funding for refugee and displacement assistance in Venezuela even before the earthquakes, but had received only 11% of that amount.
“Now more than ever, urgent, timely and flexible support is needed,” Saltmarsh said.
Airports, aid networks and civilian mobilization
Despite widespread infrastructure damage, most of Venezuela’s international airports remain operational. Maiquetía remains the only major airport closed.
As a result, airlines including Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra canceled flights on the Madrid–Caracas route, while Copa Airlines resumed service to Barquisimeto, Valencia and Barcelona but continued suspending flights to Caracas. American Airlines also canceled flights out of Miami.
Meanwhile, thousands of ordinary Venezuelans have joined rescue and aid efforts.
Beyond official deployments, civilians have been volunteering in large numbers to search through damaged buildings, collect food and medicine, and transport donations to affected neighborhoods in Caracas and La Guaira.
The Catholic Church urged residents to deliver food, medicine, clothing and tools to collection centers in Caracas and other cities.
Venezuelan communities abroad, particularly in Argentina and Ecuador, also activated emergency aid networks and digital platforms to help locate missing relatives.
This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 7:53 AM.
