Delcy Rodriguez Pleads for Heavy Gear as 164 Dead, Hundreds Trapped in La Guaira
CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Delcy Rodriguez watched three dust-caked children pulled alive from La Guaira rubble, but hundreds remain trapped. The first quake struck at 18:04 local time on Wednesday, followed seconds later by a second, more powerful tremor.
The double earthquakes, among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, flattened buildings across the northern coast. People felt the shaking as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, more than a thousand miles from Caracas. More than one hundred buildings collapsed in La Guaira state alone, overwhelming local rescue capacity.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable,” said U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Venezuela sits along the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates. The sudden release of friction triggered the shallow quakes, the second far shallower than the first, making surface destruction far more severe. The disaster struck on a national holiday, meaning more people were at home when the tremors hit. The last major earthquake to devastate Caracas, in the late 1960s, killed hundreds.
Rodriguez, who became acting president after the U.S. seized and charged Venezuela’s longtime autocrat Nicolás Maduro in January, now faces her first test. From the capital, she declared a national state of emergency late Wednesday. She mobilized the military, rescue teams, and the healthcare system. But on the ground in La Guaira, a coastal state Rodriguez described as a “disaster zone,” the crisis is overwhelming the response.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” said Rodriguez.
Power outages and paralyzed transportation are hampering rescue efforts. Rodriguez appealed to the private sector to make heavy construction equipment available a plea that underscores the government’s lack of resources. Interior MinisterDiosdado Cabello urged residents to stay outdoors as aftershocks continue to rattle the region. Dozens of aftershocks have been recorded, with more expected.
Powerful twin earthquakes have killed 32 people and injured more than 700 in Venezuela on June 25, 2026 at 5:19 PM. the nation's interim president said. Photo: Manaure Quintero/AFP/Getty Images
Hundreds remain trapped under flattened buildings. Rodriguez has created a reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes, but the immediate question is whether help will arrive in time. UN search and rescue teams are en route. The US, Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, France, Spain, Germany, and Qatar have pledged personnel and aid.
“The UN certified search and rescue teams are on their way. We've also received pledges of personnel and aid from the US, Mexico, El Salvador, and Qatar,"said Rodriguez.”
For families, the anguish is unbearable. More than seven million Venezuelans have left the country during its protracted crisis. Many struggled through cellphone outages to reach relatives inside. Scores took to social media, posting photos of missing loved ones and their last known locations.
The conflict is a race against time. Rodriguez has the authority, the emergency declaration, and international pledges. What she lacks is the heavy machinery to reach the trapped before nightfall and the aftershocks that threaten to bury them deeper. The tipping point will come in the next day, when rescue teams either pull survivors from the rubble or shift to recovery.
The U.S., which has pledged search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid, is coordinating with Rodriguez’s government. The United Nations (U.N) humanitarian office has deployed Urban Search and Rescue Teams through the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG).
“Rescuing lives. We are calling out in this for rescue operation in La Guaira, the hardest hit state, with dozens of buildings collapsed there,"said Rodriguez.”
As night falls over La Guaira, the dust settles on streets where buildings once stood. Rescue workers continue to dig by hand where they must, with power tools where they can. The three children pulled alive from the rubble offered a moment of hope. But for the hundreds still missing, hope is running out.
“We are racing against time to save as many people as possible,” said Rodriguez.