RismadarVoice Reporters, June 29, 2026
Rescue teams continued searching for survivors in Venezuela on Monday as hopes of finding more people alive beneath the rubble faded following the devastating twin earthquakes that have claimed at least 1,450 lives.
Although international rescue teams have intensified search efforts, authorities acknowledged that the critical 72-hour window for locating survivors has largely passed, shifting operations increasingly toward recovery efforts.
Despite the grim outlook, rescuers recorded several remarkable rescues over the weekend, including a father and his son who were pulled alive from the debris after spending four days trapped beneath a collapsed building.
Official figures released by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez showed that at least 3,150 people have been injured, while 12,721 residents have been displaced by the disaster.
“We are in critical hours to continue rescuing lives while also providing shelter for families who have lost their homes or cannot safely return,” Rodríguez said during a televised address.
The full scale of the disaster remains unclear, with more than 46,000 people reported missing through an online platform created to help families locate loved ones. Authorities have not confirmed how many of those listed have since been found.
Rescue workers, volunteers and relatives of missing victims continued digging through collapsed buildings using heavy machinery where available, as well as shovels, ropes and even their bare hands.
International rescue teams from several countries have joined the operation, increasing hopes of locating additional survivors despite diminishing odds.
Among the successful rescues, emergency responders from Venezuela, the United States and France freed a father and son from beneath the rubble after they had been trapped for four days.
The pair, covered in dust and suffering from dehydration, were taken to hospital after receiving emergency medical attention.
In a separate operation, a Colombian rescue team located and rescued an 11-year-old boy buried beneath approximately three metres of debris using specialised scanning equipment. The child suffered a broken arm, while his mother and sister were confirmed dead.
The United States also released footage showing rescue personnel saving an infant from the rubble during ongoing operations.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 44 international urban search-and-rescue teams, comprising more than 2,200 specialists and 140 search dogs, had been deployed to Venezuela.
Additional rescue teams, including personnel from Israel, arrived on Monday to reinforce the humanitarian response.
The U.S. Southern Command also confirmed that American military personnel were assisting rescue operations around the clock.
As rescue efforts continue, criticism has intensified over what many residents describe as an inadequate emergency response by the Venezuelan government.
Although interim President Delcy Rodríguez said more than 14,000 soldiers and police officers had been deployed for rescue and security operations, many people in the worst-affected communities said they had seen little evidence of an organised government presence.
Rodríguez insisted that search-and-rescue operations would continue after dozens of survivors were recovered over the weekend.
“We recovered people alive today. Therefore, rescue operations will not be suspended,” she said, adding that electricity, water supply and road access had largely been restored in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit coastal regions.
However, some residents accused authorities of responding too slowly, saying valuable time had been lost during the crucial early hours after the disaster.
One resident, Oraimis Rodriguez Ramirez, whose family organised its own volunteer rescue effort outside a collapsed building in Caracas, said trained emergency responders were largely absent.
“We have been here since the disaster happened. There has been no organisation and no clear answers,” she said.
Reports also emerged of residents preventing government equipment from leaving one disaster site after workers allegedly departed without participating in rescue operations.
The earthquake has become one of the biggest challenges facing interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed office in January following the removal of former President Nicolás Maduro.
