Video/ Death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela rises to 1,450, footage goes viral of a survivor being pulled alive from the rubble and bursting into tears

After two very powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela last Wednesday, search-and-rescue teams, assisted by specially trained dogs, continued their work yesterday to find the last survivors beneath the rubble.

President of Venezuela’s Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, announced that the death toll has risen to 1,450, while tens of thousands of people are still reported missing. According to him, the country is facing the worst natural disaster in its history.

Authorities report that 774 buildings have suffered severe damage and 189 of them have collapsed completely. Meanwhile, the United Nations estimates that around 50,000 people are still listed as missing.

Although several days have passed since the seismic tremors, rescue operations are still producing cases of survival. In the coastal city of Caravajeda, American and French teams managed to pull out alive a man and his teenage son, almost four days after the disaster. Both were found exhausted, but alive.

Footage of another man bursting into tears immediately after being pulled alive from the rubble has also spread widely on social media, a scene seen as a symbol of the tragedy, but also of hope amid the destruction.

In some areas, meanwhile, residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities’ response. In Caravajeda, citizens accused the army of inaction, claiming that soldiers did not take part in rescue operations while volunteers searched for survivors with primitive tools.

“A general came with around 20 armed soldiers and they sat there. They could have saved people, but they did nothing,” volunteer rescuer Alexander Mijares said.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said search-and-rescue operations will continue, as people are still being found alive under the rubble.

“We have found people alive and for this reason the operations have not been suspended. We still have hope,” she said, as she also announced a one-week extension of school closures.

In La Huira, near the epicenter of the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, resident Hector Aguilera is continuing the search for four members of his family who remain under the rubble.

“We did not have the means to pull them out. We know they are dead, but we will not leave here,” he said.

In Caracas as well, hundreds of volunteers are still on the ground, searching through collapsed buildings with their hands and simple tools. In the Chacao neighborhood, electronic screens are displaying photographs of missing people, in the hope that someone may recognize or find them.

From the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and prayed for the victims, as well as for the families affected by this catastrophe.

According to official data, more than 2,700 personnel from 24 countries around the world have been engaged in the rescue operations, supported by 86 teams with specialized dogs and 521 tons of humanitarian aid.

The United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, estimates that the economic losses caused by the earthquakes amount to around $7 billion, or approximately 6% of Venezuela’s Gross Domestic Product.

Among the victims are at least 28 foreign nationals or people with dual citizenship. Authorities warn that the toll may rise further, as searches and rescue operations continue in many parts of the country.