Rescue teams and desperate families in Venezuela continued their search for survivors days after two powerful earthquakes magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck within seconds of each other, flattening nearly 800 buildings and leaving tens of thousands unaccounted for.
Interim President Delcy RodrÃguez said 33 people were pulled alive from rubble over the weekend, including two 11-year-old boys rescued separately from collapsed structures, but hopes are fading as relatives face a fifth night waiting for news. Aid agencies warn the first 48–72 hours are crucial, and although that window has largely passed, UN experts say rescues remain possible if trapped people have access to food and water. In hard-hit towns such as Caraballeda and Catia La Mar, communities and international teams worked around the clock sometimes digging by hand while footage and social posts showed emotional moments of survival and loss. With at least 1,450 confirmed dead and criticism of the government response rising, survivors and rescuers say the scale of destruction and a shortage of heavy machinery and trained personnel are slowing searches, leaving many families clinging to hope amid a growing humanitarian crisis.
