Rescuers battle through aftershocks in search for survivors

A group of civilian volunteers searches for survivors in a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 27, 2026. More than three days after twin earthquakes devastated the Venezuelan coast, the rescue effort faced chaos and delays as the chances of finding survivors diminished. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)

By ISAYEN HERRERA, MARÍA VICTORIA FERMIN, JULIE TURKEWITZ, GENIEVE GLATSKY, FABIOLA FERRERO and YAN ZHUANG

Emergency responders struggled to navigate chaotic roads clogged by desperate civilian aid efforts in quake-ravaged northern Venezuela, as more aftershocks Sunday rattled nerves and as fears mounted that the window for finding survivors was closing.

More than three days have passed since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck Venezuela, cutting a path of destruction through its northern states. That exceeds the 72-hour window in which many experts and aid groups say the most people can be saved.

The death toll from Wednesday’s twin earthquakes has risen to 1,430 people and thousands more are injured, Jorge Rodríguez, the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said Saturday. More than 430 aftershocks have rolled through the region since Wednesday, prompting many people in La Guaira, the most affected state, to sleep outside, fearing more buildings could fall.

Rescue efforts in La Guaira have been hampered by a rush of civilian vehicles carrying relief supplies and volunteers that has jammed the lone highway into the region, leaving many aid workers stranded in traffic. Officials have attempted to limit access to the state to government vehicles and other authorized personnel. But large groups of civilians — many expressing anger at the authorities’ disaster response — still crowded the roads Saturday to bring food, water and medical aid.

In the ruins of cities and towns across La Guaira, rescue workers, many picking through the wreckage with shovels and bare hands, called out to survivors Saturday. They were largely met by silence.

People sort through a pile of donated clothes outside a hospital in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 26, 2026. More than three days after twin earthquakes devastated the Venezuelan coast, the rescue effort faced chaos and delays as the chances of finding survivors diminished. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)

The United Nations estimates that 125 buildings have collapsed, which suggests many more deaths than the official figure, Gianluca Rampolla, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Venezuela, said in an interview. UNICEF reported that about 1.8 million people, including 680,000 children, were in need of humanitarian aid.

The disaster has increased pressure on Venezuela’s leader, Delcy Rodríguez, and is testing President Donald Trump’s vision of a closer relationship with Venezuela. Trump helped bring Rodríguez to power this year after U.S. forces seized the country’s longtime dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

— U.S. relations: The United States intends to take a leading role in the response, Jeremy Lewin, a senior State Department official, said in a call with reporters Saturday. Nearly 250 Americans have joined the efforts so far, he said, added that the State Department was working on a relief package to follow the $150 million in aid already announced.

— International aid: Dozens of countries have promised aid to Venezuela, including the United States, China, European nations and many of its South American neighbors. Rodríguez said Sunday that Venezuela had received aid from 24 countries, including 86 canine units and more than 2,700 emergency workers.

— Overwhelmed hospitals: The region’s hospitals and makeshift medical centers were a portrait of suffering, the masses of injured and dead laying bare a woefully underequipped system.