Rescue efforts continued in Venezuela days after a series of powerful earthquakes struck, with survivors being pulled from the rubble, providing moments of hope for families searching for missing relatives. Daniel Cordero was rescued from a collapsed building in Catia La Mar on Friday, a jolt of optimism for those still clinging to hope.
As of Saturday, the death toll from Wednesday's 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes had reached at least 1,430, according to government officials, with the number expected to climb. Thousands have been injured and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for.
The search for survivors, largely conducted by civilians aided by a growing number of international rescue teams, persisted under intense heat. Aid agencies typically consider the first 48 to 72 hours critical for rescuing individuals alive, though this timeframe can be extended if survivors have access to food and water.
Some rescues were met with applause from onlookers, including a 4-year-old child and an elderly man. However, the grim reality of the disaster also brought confirmed deaths. Daritza Polo, in La Guaira, received confirmation Friday that her mother had died in the quake.
La Guaira has been one of the areas most severely impacted. The Rojas siblings, 3-year-old Leyder and 10-year-old Leymar, were pulled from debris, but their mother fainted at the scene as their rescue continued. Their uncle, Ramón Eduardo, expressed the devastation, stating, "It’s horrible, we have seen way too much." He added, "We got one alive, thank God," referring to their 4-year-old brother Adrián, "But not all of them, we could not get them."
For many, the lack of news is a source of constant anxiety. Noribel Mendoza has not heard from her two sons, Andrés David Molina Mendoza, 21, and Ángel Eduardo Molina Mendoza, 19, since the building they lived in La Guaira collapsed Wednesday. Their aunt, Ángela Molina Castro, speaking by phone from Puerto Píritu, expressed uncertainty about their whereabouts, stating, "We don’t know if they were there, they weren’t there, if they’re in the hospital or a clinic, still nothing."
Another aunt has been stationed outside the collapsed building hoping for news, but no official rescue teams have arrived. Neighbors and friends have attempted to clear debris, but the task is often overwhelming. A friend and his pregnant wife were confirmed dead on Friday, and the aunt hopes for different news regarding her nephews. She emphasized the shared humanity of the victims, calling the situation "a tragedy that I’m living for the first time in my life."
Flor María González has been awaiting updates since Wednesday on her daughter, Dilinyer Caroley Rada González, 33, and her three grandchildren—Jonas, 10, Ashley, 8, and Angely, 6—whose apartment building in La Guaira also collapsed. González, who had been visiting her other daughter near Caracas, heard about the earthquake upon her return to Maracaibo. She has watched from a distance as rescue operations unfold. Her other daughter remains outside Rada González’s building in hopes of a rescue, and González stated, "We still have faith."