CARACAS: The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes rose above 1,400 on Saturday as foreign rescue teams poured into the country and authorities pressed on with the search for survivors in the hardest-hit coastal areas.

The updated toll came as rescuers fanned out across La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble, often complaining of scant heavy equipment and a limited official presence.

Officials said more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived and that additional teams were on the way, adding to a growing international response to the twin quakes that struck on Wednesday and unleashed hundreds of aftershocks.

The United Nations estimates the damage from the twin quakes at $6.7 billion.

UN estimates damage from the disaster at $6.7bn

In La Guaira, a coastal state popular with beachgoers, residents said the disaster response had been uneven, with some people digging through collapsed buildings by hand in search of missing relatives.

Top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez told state television that the death toll had reached 1,430. He said thousands had been injured, families had been moved to shelters and aid was being distributed across disaster zones, especially in La Guaira.

He also said authorities were still monitoring frequent aftershocks, underscoring the force of the twin earthquakes and the difficulties facing rescue crews working in unstable conditions.

Authorities continued to restrict access to La Guaira and kept controls on the main road from Caracas, saying traffic was slowing emergency vehicles.

Power throughout the region was gradually being restored. Venezuela’s power grid, crippled by years of underinvestment and economic sanctions, regularly experiences problems, leading to daily, hours-long blackouts in some regions.

55,000 missing

Although the government has said hundreds are missing or trapped, more than 55,000 people are listed as unaccounted for on a website promoted by the country’s opposition. The US Geological Survey estimated more than 10,000 deaths were possible from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, which would place them among Latin America’s deadliest over the last 100 years.

The disaster could have political consequences for Delcy Rodriguez, who has tried to portray herself as an agent of change even though she served as vice president to Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted and arrested by the US in January.

Pope Leo, speaking in Rome, offered prayers for the victims, their families and those involved in relief operations, and said he hoped global solidarity with Venezuela would endure.

The United States has sent aid to Venezuela in the aftermath of the quakes. A senior US official said a nine-figure funding package is expected to be announced next week, in addition to $150 million that has already been committed by the Trump administration.

A White House official said a renewed push by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who left Venezuela late last year, for US help to return home is frustrating senior officials in Washington, who said it was too soon after the disaster.

Eyes on La Guaira

Witnesses travelled along highways cracked by the quakes and passed dozens of buildings reduced to broken concrete and twisted metal. Some ruins were spray-painted with building names to help rescuers identify locations.

Volunteers ferried supplies on mot­orcycles from Caracas and Valencia.

Despite initially thanking the volunteers, Rodriguez and other officials later told people to stay away from La Guaira city because clogged roads were making rescue operations more difficult. They announced roads would be closed from 8pm, except to official and registered response teams.

Interim govt tested

Witnesses saw people in Catia la Mar, a town in La Guaira, removing cooking oil, bread and other items from a damaged store.

Police, the national guard and other officials did not intervene in the looting.

Delcy Rodriguez, who took power after the United States captured her predecessor in January, has pledged a major relief deployment.

Venezuela’s oil production was not affected by the quakes, Oil Minister Paula Henao said in a radio interview, adding that fuel distribution would be guaranteed.

Foreign rescue teams, including some from countries long at odds with Venezuela, began arriving late on Friday.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2026