Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude hit northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening, killing at least 1,430 people and injuring 3,200 others, according to The Guardian.
National Assembly President Jorge RodrÃguez announced on state television that the disaster left 3,100 people homeless.
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Family members have reported at least 68,900 people as unaccounted for.
Damage and Response
The United Nations estimated on Saturday that the twin tremors caused $6.7 billion in property and asset damage, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's GDP.
The UN Development Programme clarified that this preliminary assessment covers losses to physical assets like housing but excludes broader economic disruptions.
Acting President Delcy RodrÃguez stated that more than 14,000 military and police personnel are patrolling affected regions.
Access remains blocked without special entry permits.
International rescue teams from Mexico, the United States, Brazil, El Salvador, and France arrived on Saturday to reinforce initial efforts from the United Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
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US State Department official Jeremy Lewin confirmed that the US military is coordinating transport flights for rescue workers, mobile field hospitals, and emergency supplies.
"It's a race against the clock," Lewin said, regarding the mission to find survivors.
The American deployment includes two 80-person search teams and a US Navy transport ship docked off the Venezuelan coastline to receive airlifted casualties.
"People are trapped under rubble, and the priority is to get the search and rescue teams and the medical professionals to them as quickly as possible to save lives," added Lewin.
Civilians in heavily impacted areas like La Guaira continue to dig through collapsed structures using basic hand tools and shovels to recover missing relatives.
"People are still terrified to re-enter what were their homes," said Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross's regional director for the Americas.
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Government reports indicate that foreign nationals are among the deceased, including 15 people of Portuguese descent, seven Chinese citizens, five Spaniards, two Brazilians, and one Italian-Venezuelan dual citizen.
