Rescuers on Friday worked through rubble with heavy machinery and bare hands in a desperate effort to find survivors after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing at least 235 people, injuring thousands and flattening large sections of buildings.
International teams and aid began arriving as the country struggled to respond two days after its most powerful quake in more than a century hit west of Caracas.
National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said more than 200 people were still trapped under collapsed structures.
At one devastated site, workers used sledgehammers to break through debris while calling for “absolute silence” to listen for signs of life, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) footage.
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said the death toll had climbed to at least 235, with about 4,300 people injured.
Rescue operations have moved slowly, with bodies still visible beneath the rubble hours after the quakes as hope faded for many of those trapped.
Aid has begun arriving, including a senior U.S. military official who landed in Caracas to oversee relief efforts.
Countries around the world have pledged to send rescuers, money and supplies, with the United States saying it was deploying two warships, transport aircraft and helicopters, along with $150 million in assistance.
In the worst-hit state of La Guaira, north of Caracas, Amparo del Giudice dug with her bare hands through a mound of concrete in search of her son.
“It is a lot of rock, and with bare hands it is impossible,” she said, exhausted as she continued digging.
Elsewhere, a young girl died after calling for help for hours as onlookers listened helplessly, local residents told AFP.
“We need people, military personnel, to come and help so we can get her out,” said resident Dani Rizo, 48.
The dead include foreign nationals, with two Spaniards, one Portuguese citizen, two Brazilians, one Italian-Venezuelan and two Chinese nationals among those killed.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry also said Friday that 80 Spaniards remain unaccounted for.
A rescue worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP conditions were precarious, with a shortage of trained personnel and significant technical limitations.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez visited La Guaira on Thursday after the area was declared a disaster zone.
AFP reporters witnessed residents looting a local supermarket in the city.
Venezuela’s International Rescue Committee director, Nicole Kast, described the situation as catastrophic.
Offers of support continued to pour in from around the world, with Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal and Mexico among countries sending specialist rescue teams.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised a “whole-of-government response,” saying, “It will be big, it will be fast, and it will be effective.”
China, India, Brazil and Iran also offered assistance, while Pope Leo XIV sent an initial 100,000 euros in aid.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened” by the disaster, as the global body pledged support for relief efforts.
Relief operations face added complications after the international airport in La Guaira was closed due to severe damage.
Authorities from several countries confirmed that two Spaniards, two Brazilians, two Chinese nationals, one Italian and one Portuguese citizen were among the dead.
Venezuela’s northern coast lies along a boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates but has not seen a major quake since 1997, when 73 people were killed. Another in 1967 killed 236.
Wednesday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake was the strongest since 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude tremor struck offshore.
The quake was felt in neighboring Colombia, where residents in Bogota evacuated buildings as a precaution.
Tremors were also reported in several cities in northern Brazil, according to the country’s seismic monitoring network.
Scenes of panic and destruction also unfolded in Caracas, where many residents spent the night sleeping on the streets or in their cars.
Rita Gomez, 60, traveled to the capital after seeing social media reports that the building where her daughter lives had collapsed and she was not answering calls.
She told AFP that heavy machinery had arrived and there was “a lot of cooperation from neighbors,” adding: “We are trusting in God that they will find her alive.”
