CARACAS — Rescue efforts intensified across northern Venezuela on Monday as the death toll from last week's powerful twin earthquakes climbed above 1,400, with thousands still reported missing, officials said.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck within 39 seconds of each other on June 24, causing widespread destruction in coastal areas including La Guaira state and the capital Caracas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quakes were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said at least 1,450 people had been killed and more than 3,150 injured, with over 46,000 reported missing as of Monday. Health authorities attributed the figures to hospital records and ongoing assessments.
Search and rescue teams from more than two dozen countries, including the United States, Colombia and Bolivia, continued operations in rubble-strewn areas, pulling survivors from collapsed buildings days after the disaster. Venezuelan authorities said more than 2,700 foreign rescuers and search dogs had arrived to support local efforts hampered by a shortage of heavy machinery.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and said responders were in "critical hours" for finding survivors amid hundreds of aftershocks.
Officials have not provided a full damage assessment, but more than 250 structures were reported damaged or destroyed in the initial surveys, with many residents left homeless.
The situation remained fluid, with rescue operations ongoing and casualty figures expected to rise as teams clear debris in hard-hit zones.
