Camille Naredo

Rescuers search for possible victims at a collapsed building following twin earthquakes, in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, some 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 27, 2026.

Rescuers search for possible victims at a collapsed building following twin earthquakes, in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, some 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 27, 2026. The death toll in Venezuela's June 24 twin earthquake disaster reached 1,430, and millions more were feared to lack sanitation and other basic needs, as the first US aid flights landed in Caracas. (Photo by Maryorin Mendez / AFP)

Article (news)

Venezuela

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782925038601AFP__20260628__B8JX3ZU__v1__MidRes__VenezuelaEarthquakeAftermath.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Rescuers search for possible victims at a collapsed building following twin earthquakes, in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, some 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 27, 2026. Maryorin Mendez, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Rescuers search for possible victims at a collapsed building following twin earthquakes, in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, some 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 27, 2026. <em>Maryorin Mendez, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>LA GUAIRA, Venezuela -- Hope of finding more survivors faded Wednesday as Venezuela marked a week since twin earthquakes left almost 2,000 dead, while many who survived were running desperately short on food.</p><p>Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for and even hopeful relatives of the missing focused on recovering loved ones&#x27; bodies for burial.</p><p>The majority of collapsed buildings in the hardest-hit city of La Guaira, just north of Caracas, have been marked with the letter &#x27;D&#x27; for &#x27;deceased&#x27; -- a sign they had been searched and showed no signs of life.</p><p>&quot;Time isn&#x27;t wasted in a place where there is no expectation of recovering people alive,&quot; said Javier Rodes, the coordinator of a Spanish rescue team whose sniffer dog Nala searched in vain through the rubble for traces of life.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/6/30/venezuela-rescuers-in-final-push-to-find-survivors-as-families-mourn-2104">READ: Venezuela rescuers in final push to find survivors as families mourn</a></div><p>There have been miracle survivors, such as <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/7/1/three-year-old-rescued-six-days-after-venezuela-quakes-0922">a three-year-old boy found alive</a> Tuesday, six days after Venezuela&#x27;s most powerful quake in over a century.</p><p>But experts say trapped victims are unlikely to survive more than 72 hours after an earthquake.</p><p>Venezuela&#x27;s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Tuesday that deaths had risen to 1,943.</p><p>The United Nations estimates 50,000 people are missing.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- A fight for food -</strong></div><p>Two powerful quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, shattered entire neighborhoods in oil-rich Venezuela, which has suffered decades of economic crisis that had devastated infrastructure and health services.</p><p>The country is in a fragile transition six months after the United States ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.</p><p>International rescue teams arrived from around the globe to dig out survivors, while locals are furious at the absence of the state in the aftermath of the disaster.</p><p>With daily life in ruins, the focus is now shifting to survival. Many are homeless and food and water are becoming hard to find.</p><p>&quot;They give out supplies here, but sometimes people nearly kill each other for food... It&#x27;s like a cockfight,&quot; Daniela Armas, 18, a vendor in La Guaira, said after waiting to get food at an emergency shelter.</p><p>There has been widespread theft and looting and on Wednesday four police officers were arrested after being caught by residents stealing valuables from the rubble, according to the justice ministry.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/6/29/looting-theft-in-venezuela-s-earthquake-zone-add-to-tragedy-0859">READ: Looting, theft in Venezuela&#x27;s earthquake zone add to tragedy</a></div><p>&quot;The situation is quite critical,&quot; said Lia Poggio, head of mission in Venezuela for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).</p><p>Queues for aid are growing longer by the day, with many surviving on the goodwill of volunteers and donations from fellow citizens.</p><p>&quot;I feel guilty about eating, because every time I eat I think there&#x27;s someone who has nothing to eat,&quot; said Aysmar Lopez, a young woman bringing home-cooked meals to several shelters.</p><p>The World Food Programme on Tuesday appealed for $50 million to feed some 500,000 people for three months in Venezuela.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Risk of disease -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ENmBDyVoa9I?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Fears of disease outbreaks were also rising.</p><p>World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said health services in Venezuela were under &quot;extreme pressure.&quot;</p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s an increased risk now of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases&quot; such as measles and diphtheria, due to low pre-earthquake vaccination coverage, he said.</p><p>The UN refugee agency said it needed $14.9 million to scale up aid and temporary shelter for 30,000 people over six months.</p><p>The quakes likely damaged or destroyed 58,870 buildings, according to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by NASA.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/6/28/venezuela-quakes-kill-1-400-as-time-running-out-to-find-survivors-2310">READ: Venezuela quakes kill 1,400 as time running out to find survivors</a></div><p>At one La Guaira building already marked with a &#x27;D&#x27; as showing no signs of life, Helen Guedez and her brother searched tirelessly through the rubble of a once-luxury building with sea views.</p><p>She still held out hope of finding her father, sister, and grandmother alive, but knew chances were slim.</p><p>&quot;We are going to keep searching because we would like to recover our relatives&#x27; bodies and give them a dignified burial,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Hope of finding more survivors faded Wednesday as Venezuela marked a week since twin earthquakes left almost 2,000 dead, while many who survived were running desperately short on food.</p>

Hope of finding more survivors faded Wednesday as Venezuela marked a week since twin earthquakes left almost 2,000 dead, while many who survived were running desperately short on food.

Hope fades, hunger sets in a week after Venezuela quakes

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Hope fades, hunger sets in a week after Venezuela quakes

Margioni Bermudez and Nina Negron with Leticia Pineda in Caracas,

Agence France-Presse

Published July 02, 2026 01:31 AM PHT

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Updated July 02, 2026 01:37 AM PHT

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