Summary

  • Rescue efforts are continuing for a third day after two back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing at least 920 and injuring more than 3,360 people

  • One family is anxiously listening for signs their loved one survived, telling BBC Mundo they heard him "groan" under the debris

  • A newborn baby is among the survivors rescued from the rubble - watch the emotional moment

  • Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez says she is hopeful that teams will find survivors

  • An update from Rodríguez on Friday put the number of trapped people at 172 - but tens of thousands of people are reported missing on a civilian-led rescue database

  • The quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit less than a minute apart while most were home for a national holiday - how locals are describing the scenes

Live Reporting

Edited by Andrew Humphrey and Tinshui Yeung

  1. Civilians helping rescue effort with 'no sophisticated equipment', local says

    Warning: This post contains distressing details.

    One man in La Guaira tells BBC Mundo "there is no sophisticated equipment" to carry out rescue operations.

    Civilians have joined the search and rescue efforts and are calling for a stronger presence from the state, contributor to BBC MundoNicole Kloster says.

    A young person can be seen using a drone to try to locate people.

    Meanwhile, some families have returned to damaged buildings to try to recover belongings. "We are trying to recover... clothes and documents," a woman with a child says, adding that she lives on the 15th floor.

    "We are sleeping at the airport, in the car... we have nothing. It is very sad," she says.

    One woman says "you can already smell the deceased".

    She says two buildings collapsed in the immediate vicinity.

  2. Search and rescue team boards flight from Panama City to Venezuela

    Orla Guerin
    Reporting from an aid flight to Venezuela

    We are on board a commercial flight set take off from Panama City for Valencia in Venezuela.

    Search and rescue workers streamed on to the plane, some wearing their white helmets, all in high visibility jackets, most loaded with backpacks.

    A sniffer dog has also come on board. There’s just been a round of applause for all the search teams and for the airline - COPA - which is transporting them and their equipment free.

    One of the passengers is a Venezuelan from La Guaira, the worst affected area. He is rushing home to try to support relatives and friends. He looks exhausted and says he has suffered heavy losses, including four family members, a cousin, and many friends.

    There are teams on this flight are from Spain, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador and Panama.

    One experienced paramedic tells us he believes survivors can still be found.

    Steven Salazar Vasquez is part of a small team of specialists including doctors. He tells us that after 72 hours the chance of finding people alive under the rubble falls rapidly, but he "still has hope" because there are many tall structures that have only partially collapsed.

    He says there may be some buildings where collapsed walls have created a viable space, which rescue workers call "the triangle of life".

  3. 'He groaned': Families hold out hope for trapped loved ones

    Nicole Kolster
    Contributor to BBC Mundo, in La Guaira

    A group of five people embrace each other looking tearful

    The family of Carlos Eduardo

    Carlos Eduardo, 31, is trapped under the rubble. His family have been calling out to him for two days.

    "About an hour and a half ago, more or less, we heard from him. Well, he didn’t really speak, he groaned," his cousin tells me anxiously. He hasn't responded since.

    Spanish rescuers and sniffer dogs arrived at the building, but withdrew after they found no sign of life.

    But Carlos’s family have remained there, continuing to remove debris to find him.

    They are clinging onto hope he can still be rescued alive.

  4. Watch: Emotional moment newborn baby rescued from rubble

    Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors trapped in rubble.

    Among them was a newborn baby, who was reunited with family in an emotional rescue, sparking cheers from relief workers.

    Watch the moment below.

  5. Families returning to unstable structures out of desperation

    Nicole Kolster
    Contributor to BBC Mundo, in La Guaira

    A row of people stand and survey a collapsed building

    Rescue efforts are under way in La Guaira, but residents are pleading for more help from the state.

    Many buildings are dangerously unstable. Yet out of desperation some families are returning to partially collapsed structures to retrieve essential belongings.

    Drones are being used to survey the damage and to try find victims and survivors.

    Occasionally people run into the streets in a panic fearing further aftershocks.

    The mood here is dizzying, surreal. It feels like when you come off a boat onto dry land.

  6. Flattened buildings and piles of rubble: Drone footage shows extensive damage

    Drone footage taken above La Guaira shows the scale of destruction caused by two back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela.

    La Guaira, a region north of the capital Caracas, was the area hardest hit by Wednesday's quakes.

  7. Chilean national killed in earthquakes - foreign ministry

    Earlier, we reported at least 40 foreign nationals have been killed in the Venezuelan earthquakes.

    We can bring you an update now from Chile. Its foreign ministry says a Chilean national has died.

    "The foreign ministry is in contact with their family, providing assistance, guidance, and support," it says in a statement on X.

  8. Earthquake survivors now grappling with precarious living situations

    The double earthquakes have wrought destruction on Venezuela and many of those who survived them now find themselves homeless after their homes were levelled.

    Many are now in temporary shelters - such as in tents or repurposed schools - while others are sleeping on the streets.

    Two mattresses on the floor of a classroom, some children sit together on the first mattressReuters

    A family from La Guaira - where hundreds of structures were destroyed in the earthquake - rest at a temporary shelter in Caracas

    Women sort through their possessions outside a green tent on the streets of CaracasReuters

    Some people - like these women in Caracas - have taken to sleeping on the streets out of fear of aftershocks hitting the country

    Rows of brown tents, in front on the grass is a pile of clothes and peopleReuters

    People go through donated clothes at a temporary refugee camp in La Guaira

  9. This feels like the hardest moment in Venezuela's modern history

    Will Grant
    Reporting from Caracas

    With each morning that Venezuelans wake to the aftermath of the dual earthquakes, it is a little darker, a little more grim.

    It is another night in which the prayers for the miraculous recovery of missing loved one went unanswered, in which the fitful sleep for the survivors is interrupted by nightmares of collapsed buildings and moments of sheer panic.

    For ex-policeman Jan Carlos Roa Garcia and his family, it was another night sleeping rough. Their building in Caracas wasn't brought down but is too dangerous to return to.

    Tears rolling down his cheeks, he says he’s not sure he even knows how to rebuild his family’s life again. "If I was thirty and not fifty, then maybe. But I don't know where to begin. And so far, no-one in authority has contacted us."

    At the scene of the worst-hit areas - particularly the coastal town of La Guaira - the rescue teams have worked through another night showing impressive resilience and focus to try to reach those trapped relatives.

    Videos are circulating on social media of the workers successfully pulling out survivors with typical Venezuelan good humour and spirit which bring a lump to the throat.

    This feels like the hardest moment in Venezuela's modern history in a country that has had more than its fair share in recent years.

  10. Two deadly earthquakes hit Venezuela - a timeline

    Matt Spivey
    Live reporter

    rescue workers look through rubble.Getty Images

    Wednesday

    At 18:04 local time (23:04 BST) an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 strikes in the north of Venezuela.

    About 39 seconds later a second earthquake of magnitude 7.5 strikes 28km (17.4 miles) south-east of Yumare, a town in Yaracuy state. This was the strongest to hit the country since 1900.

    Thursday

    At around 00:50, Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez reports at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injured. She says this doesn’t include any figures from the state most affected by the earthquakes, La Guaira.

    As rescuers and the army mobilise to clear debris, aid groups around the world scramble to deliver help to Venezuela, with the US pledging $150m (£113.4m) in assistance.

    Friday

    By the morning, support teams from countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Switzerland and Spain land in Venezuela, with personnel from more countries and organisations expected.

    Around 08:30 local time (13:30 BST) Rodriguez says the death toll has risen to 589 people and the number of injured stands at 2,980. She adds that the hard-hit state of La Guaira will be "militarised".

    The death toll updates again at around 13:30, asVenezuelan lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez said at least 920 people have been killed and at least 3,360 injured.

    Saturday

    The search for survivors continues, as Rodríguez says she has faith teams will find the survivors among the rubble.

  11. More international rescue teams head to Venezuela

    The UN's aid chief Tom Fletcher has praised the global response to the earthquakes, telling Radio 4's Today programme that almost 2,000 international workers have come to Venezuela to help with rescue efforts.

    These are some of the latest pictures of international rescue teams heading to the country.

    A group of people in red sweatshirts and caps walk through an airportReuters

    A Mexican rescue team prepares to head to Venezuela

    A group of people wearing red sweatshirts and caps gather in a huddle in a white-walled roomReuters

    This group of rescue workers - the Topos Tlatelolco Rescue Brigade - follows a large number of rescue personnel already sent by Mexico on Friday

    Rows of rescue workers stand on the tarmac by a plane at night timeReuters

    French rescue troops also departed the country for Venezuela late on Friday night

    Bags of equipment and supplies are prepared by troops on the tarmac outside of a planeReuters

    The troops are drawn from France's 7th Civil Security Training and Intervention Regiment

  12. Share your stories of the earthquakes

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    Are you in Venezuela and did you experience the earthquakes?

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    In somecasesaselectionof your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.

  13. 'We have faith we are going to rescue them', says Venezuela's president

    Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez says that the "priority" is rescuing those still alive.

    In a video message posted by the Venezuelan government, she thanks all the emergency responders for their work in the recovery efforts so far.

    The "most strategic thing" is the rescuing of the people who are still alive, that "is our priority", she says.

    "We have faith and hope that we are going to rescue them," she adds.

  14. New footage shows moments after quakes hit

    Three days on from the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, new footage showing the moments immediately following the quakes has emerged.

    The footage shows dust rising and people gathering on the streets of Caracas, taking stock of the damage and comforting each other.

    Footage shows panic on streets of Caracas after quakes hit

  15. 'Deeply saddened': King sends condolences to Venezuelans

    King Charles III wears a navy suit and striped tie, next to him Camilla is wearing a white jacket, they stand in front of a stony wall outsidePA Media

    King Charles III says that he and Queen Camilla were "deeply saddened to learn of the devastating earthquakes" and the "tragic loss of life and suffering they have caused", in a public statement addressed to the people of Venezuela.

    "At this most difficult of times, we send our profound sympathy to all those who have lost loved ones," it says, adding that "we greatly admire the resilience and strength of the Venezuelan people".

    Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez has thanked the King for his message on her social media. "We value this gesture of support" and the "recognition of the strength of our people", she says.

  16. Almost 2,000 international rescuers flown into Venezuela - UN aid chief

    About a dozen rescue workers dressed in tan trousers and blue shirts, with orange helmets, walk across the tarmac onto a planeEPA/Shutterstock

    A rescue team from the Netherlands departing Eindhoven Air Base for Venezuela on Friday

    The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher says the global response to the deadly earthquakes has been "really good".

    With teams pouring in from Russia, Ukraine, America, Europe and the Middle East, "politics all falls away at this point," he tells the Today programme.

    Fletcher says that the UN has currently deployed 39 rescue teams and has seen almost 2,000 international rescue workers surging into Venezuela to help.

    The UN teams also have 111 rescue dogs, he says. Their strong sense of smell and ability to navigate tricky terrain make dogs critically important in search and rescue.

    With the UN having lost "almost half" its aid budget in the last 18 months, funding is a challenge, says Fletcher.

  17. At least 40 foreign nationals killed in quakes - reports

    Devastating back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela have killed at least 920 people, according to officials.

    Among them are a number of foreign nationals. Here's what we have learned from international media reports.

    In an update from Beja Airbase last night, Secretary of State for Communities Emídio Sousa said 28 Portuguese nationals had been killed, according to local media outlets.

    Seven Chinese nationals have been killed, Xinhua News Agency reported citing the Chinese embassy in Venezuela.

    Spanish media reports five nationals have been killed and 119 remain missing, citing Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.

    Two Brazilian citizens were also among those killed, the government confirmed.

    Italy's foreign ministry reports the death of an Italian-Venezuelan national following the twin earthquakes.

  18. Today 'crucial' for rescue, UN chief says, as thousands declared missing

    Tom Fletcher wears a suit and has a serious expression, he sits in front of a blue backgroundEPA/Shutterstock

    Today is a "crucial day" for search and rescue, says the UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.

    Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, he says rescuers are "driven on minute by minute, hour by hour, by the sound of the survivors underneath the rubble," adding: "The worst thing is when those voices go quiet."

    The exact number of people missing is unclear. Acting president of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez put the figure at 172 in her most recent update on Friday, but others say it is likely much higher.

    Speaking separately to AFP, Fletcher says that more than 50,000 people are missing. A civilian-run missing persons site also puts the figure in the tens of thousands, reporting more than 54,000 people who have been unreachable by family members.

    The site also shows that 12,215 people have been located, but does not disclose in what condition they were found.

  19. What to know about the situation in Venezuela

    Casualties: At least 920 people have been killed and 3,360 injured, according to the most recent update from authorities. Tens of thousands of people are missing.

    Area: Multiple states have been affected. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez saidearlier that La Guaira, a region north of the capital, had been hit the hardest. Buildings have collapsed, and people are left without a home.

    Rescue efforts: Are continuing for a third day with teams joining in from across the globe, including the UK, Mexico, Switzerland and the US.

    Earthquakes: The two powerful quakes rocked Venezuela on Wednesday evening, less than a minute apart. The first quake had a magnitude of 7.2 and the second 7.5. The second was one of the strongest tremors to hit the South American countryin a century.

    Aftershocks: They are continuing after the earthquakes - on Friday evening President Rodríguez said there had been 214.

    A map showing two earthquakes in Venezuela, where they hit and how hard the shaking was

  20. Families wait in front of the rubble, hoping for a miracle

    Vanessa Silva
    Reporting from La Guaira

    Firefighters and volunteers work amidst the rubble of a collapsed building.Reuters

    The BBC has been on the ground in the worst affected areas - here's the latest report from Vanessa Silva in La Guaira state:

    Destruction is everywhere - hundreds of structures have been destroyed. Buildings have been reduced to a twisted mass of cement and beams.

    Families are waiting in front of the rubble, hoping for a miracle. Natacha Díaz, a mother who is almost voiceless, tells the BBC that her two daughters are trapped in the small shopping centre where they worked as manicurists. She cries as she holds a photo of her daughters on her mobile phone.

    A few metres away, Andreína Valerio, with little sleep and accompanied by her brother-in-law, waits for a miracle that will bring back Santiaguito, her one-and-a-half-year-old son. "My only son," she tells me through tears.

    Two uncles and the boy's grandparents, who cared for the baby while his mother worked in Caracas, are also trapped.

    Police, rescuers and volunteers from other states have arrived.

    Around midday on Friday, we saw the arrival of heavy machinery to remove debris.