Venezuela earthquakes live updates: Survivors rescued amid race to find missing

Mon, June 29, 2026 at 11:05 AM UTC

8

Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Volunteers and Ecuadorean firefighters of the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) search for bodies at the site of a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, Venezuela on June 28, 2026, following twin earthquakes.

At least 1,450 people were killed and some 3,150 injured as a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, officials said.

The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street.

Responders are undertaking "intensive rescue operations," searching for people thought to be under the rubble, Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said.

Latest Developments

Jun 29, 7:11 AMSurvivors pulled from rubble days after Venezuela quakes, officials say

As the race to find survivors in Venezuela continues, Bolivian rescuers pulled two survivors out of the rubble of a collapsed building over the weekend.The video was posted by the Bolivian authorities on Sunday but does not specify when it was filmed.

Video shows rescuers pulling someone through a small opening and then rappelling slowly down the collapsed side of the building.The officially reported death toll from the two powerful earthquakes that struck in Venezuela on Wednesday remained at about 1,400, with the last update on casualties being announced on Saturday.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele - PHOTO: A woman is seen after being pulled from under a collapsed building in a hard hit town in La Guaira, on Venezuela's coast, in an image shared by the Salvadoran president.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele also shared video of Salvadoran rescue crews."After 86 hours trapped under the rubble, and following 11 hours of intense work, we have successfully rescued 60-year-old Belkys Josefina Barreto García alive," he said on social media.The woman had been trapped under a building in a hard hit town in La Guaira on the coast. The woman remains in "delicate" condition and has been transferred to hospital in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.There were shouts of "bravo" and clapping from bystanders and rescuers as she was carried on a stretcher into an ambulance.-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule

Jun 28, 10:05 PMLa Guaira's power 75% restored after deadly earthquakes, acting president says

About 75% of electricity service has been restored in La Guaira state, Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said. The region includes a major port.

"Teams continue working toward full restoration of electrical services in the state, as well as water services, which is at 68%, and roadways, which are about 90% restored, all the transit and circulation, which is very important for rescue operations," she said.

Jun 28, 6:20 PMUS Southern Command says 100 airmen arrived to help reopen airport

A Contingency Response Element (CRE) that includes 100 US Air Force airmen arrived in Venezuela on Sunday and will help make repairs at Simon Bolivar International Airport -- which serves capital city Caracas -- to make it operational, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

Jun 28, 4:27 PMUS Southern Command posts photos of US military personnel in Venezuela

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) posted several photos on X Sunday of U.S. military personnel meeting with Venezuelan officials, including Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard, conducting a survey at the Port of La Guaira."The United States stands with the Venezuelan people and has mobilized an unprecedented, large-scale response to support international earthquake relief efforts in the country," the SOUTCOM post said. "The @DeptofWar is supporting the @StateDept-led U.S. response."

U.S. Southern Command - PHOTO: U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard (center, right) and U.S. military personnel coordinate with Venezuelan officials, June 28, 2026, to conduct a port survey at the Port of La Guaira, Venezuela.

Jarrard was dispatched to Venezuela on Thursday, the day after the two deadly earthquakes, according to SOUTHCOM.

U.S. Southern Command - PHOTO: U.S. Marines with Littoral Combat Force-24 and U.S. sailors from the USS Fort Lauderdale deliver critically needed disaster assistance supplies, June 27, 2026, at La Guaira Port, Venezuela.

Later Sunday, SOUTHCOM also shared a video on X that it said is from a Venezuelan citizen and which shows U.S. Marines marching past a site to assist search and rescue efforts, featuring someone ff camera say “USA, thank you!”-ABC News' Cindy Smith

Advertisement

Jun 28, 3:31 PMEarthquake death toll rises to 1,450, Venezuelan official says

The death toll has increased to 1,450 from last week's twin earthquakes in Venezuela, according to a government official.National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez posted the update to X on Sunday afternoon, adding that the number of injured is 3,150, which is down from the previously offered number of 3,200.

Fernando Vergara/AP Photo - PHOTO: Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, on June 27, 2026.

Some 12,721 people have been displaced by the earthquakes, Rodriguez also wrote, with 774 buildings affected, 189 of which had collapsed, he said.Analysis of satellite images by researches at Oregon State University calculated the number of damaged or destroyed buildings at nearly 60,000.

Jun 28, 11:14 AM24 countries have sent over 500 tons of supplies, acting president says

Some two dozen countries so far have sent aid to Venezuela in the aftermath of last week's devastating earthquakes, according to the country's acting president."We have received support from 24 countries in the international community, which have sent 521 tons of supplies, 86 canine units, and more than 2,741 members of search, rescue, and support personnel, who are already integrated with our teams," Acting President Delcy Rodríguez posted on X Saturday night.

Rob Engelaar/EPA/Shutterstock - PHOTO: A Dutch rescue team departs from Eindhoven Air Base for Venezuela to provide aid following the earthquakes that struck the country in Eindhoven, Netherlands, June 26, 2026.

At least 1,430 people were killed and more than 3,200 injured in Wednesday's pair of powerful earthquakes, according to officials.-ABC News' Rashid Haddou

Jun 28, 8:19 AMNearly 60,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, researchers say satellite data shows

Researchers estimate nearly 60,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the twin earthquakes in Venezuela on June 24th.Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by researchers at Oregon State University’s Conflict Ecology lab "estimates approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region, as of the most recent satellite pass on 25 June 2026."

Matias Delacroix/AP Photo - PHOTO: Buildings destroyed by twin earthquakes stand in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 27, 2026.

The analysis is a preliminary "rapid assessment" conducted with the first available images after the earthquakes but gives an early indication as to the scale of the damage, researchers said.Satellite analysis by the same researchers has previously been used to estimate damage in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran amongst others.-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jun 27, 3:11 PMDeath toll over 1,400, official saysThe death toll in Venezuela rose to 1,430 on Saturday, Jorge Rodriguez, the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said on state TV.

Jun 27, 1:11 PMUS official gives update on American search and rescue team missionsThe two federal search and rescue teams that were sent to Venezuela at max deployment levels are currently on the ground there pulling people from collapsed buildings, a U.S. official told ABC News Saturday.

Jun 27, 6:23 AMSearch for quake's survivors continues, approaches 72 hours, acting president says

Emergency response teams from Venezuelan and other countries were working early on Saturday, combing the rubble for survivors after two powerful earthquakes struck the capital and nearby cities on Wednesday evening, the acting president said.

Matias Delacroix/AP Photo - PHOTO: Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble two days after an earthquake struck in La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguiz said in an update at 1 a.m. local time that electric services had been restored to about 60% of what they had been prior to the quakes.

More than 14,000 officials were working in La Guaira, a hard-hit area north of Caracas, the capital, Rodriguiz said. Access to that area remained restricted as military and other officials searched the wreckage, she said.A "saturation" of food and water had been surging into areas where supplies were needed, she added.

Matias Delacroix/AP Photo - PHOTO: Colombian rescue workers search through the rubble three days after an earthquake struck in La Guaira, Venezuela, early Saturday, June 27, 2026.

At least 30 search teams from various countries were searching the rubble in Venezuela on Friday, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which said it had organized at least 17 teams.The foreign teams included more than 1,600 personnel and more than 100 dogs, the agency said.

"After an earthquake, the first 72 hours are critical to saving lives," the agency said on Friday, adding that in the search for survivors "every second matters."-ABC News' Herminia Fernández and Rashid Haddou

Click here to read the rest of the blog.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Breaking”