Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,400 as Thousands Remain Missing

The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela has risen to more than 1,400, as rescue teams continue searching for survivors amid widespread devastation.

While the government has officially reported that several hundred people remain missing, an opposition-affiliated website has compiled a list indicating that around 55,000 people are still unaccounted for.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that the final death toll from the disaster could exceed 10,000, highlighting the catastrophic scale of the earthquakes.

International search-and-rescue teams have already arrived in Venezuela to assist local authorities. Rescue operations are focused primarily on the country's hardest-hit coastal areas, where emergency responders are working around the clock to locate survivors and recover victims.

The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck Venezuela on Wednesday, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. The coastal state of La Guaira and parts of the capital, Caracas, suffered the most extensive damage.

Volunteers, rescue workers, and relatives of the missing have been searching day and night through the rubble of collapsed buildings. However, residents have expressed frustration over the shortage of heavy equipment and the limited presence of government rescue personnel.

Many families continue to search desperately for their loved ones.

Among them is 33-year-old engineer Alejandro Serrano, who traveled from San Cristóbal to Caraballeda in search of his 24-year-old sister, Ana Serrano, after the apartment building where she lived collapsed during the earthquake.

"I searched for her at a hospital in Caracas but couldn't find her," Serrano said. "I've shared her details with rescue teams from Argentina and El Salvador. I only pray that she is not found beneath the rubble."

Meanwhile, Beisy Rivas, a 60-year-old resident of the Los Corrales neighborhood, said fear continues to grip the community as aftershocks persist.

"Since the earthquake, almost all of my neighbors have been sleeping on the streets because they are afraid of the aftershocks," she said. "I'm still trembling with fear."