Rescuers Pull 9-Month-Old Baby, Woman Alive as Venezuela Quake Death Toll Tops 1,700
Updated
Updated · The New Yorker · Jun 30
Rescuers Pull 9-Month-Old Baby, Woman Alive as Venezuela Quake Death Toll Tops 1,700
3 articles · Updated · The New Yorker · Jun 30
Summary
A 9-month-old boy was pulled alive from a collapsed apartment building in Catia La Mar after nearly 66 hours under the rubble, and about an hour later rescuers brought out his mother alive.
The twin quakes—magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, 39 seconds apart—flattened buildings across La Guaira, where weak code enforcement, corruption and scant emergency infrastructure worsened the destruction.
The death toll has climbed past 1,700, nearly 50,000 people are still missing, and some areas such as Catia La Mar have damage to more than 30% of buildings.
U.S., Venezuelan and Salvadoran teams worked side by side at rescue sites, while local volunteers from places including Chuao delivered food and supplies despite scarce resources and poor access.
The rescues came just before the critical 72-hour mark, underscoring both the narrowing window for finding survivors and the broader need for stronger state-led coordination as Venezuela faces a full-scale rebuild.
Beyond rebuilding cities, can Venezuela dismantle the corruption that made this earthquake so catastrophic?
With its oil revenue controlled by the US, how can Venezuela ensure its wealth funds its own reconstruction?
The 2026 Venezuela Earthquakes: Humanitarian Crisis, Political Turmoil, and the Collapse of Public Housing
Overview
On June 24, 2026, Venezuela was hit by the devastating 'Dual Quakes,' with the first quake measured at magnitude 7.1. The powerful tremors caused widespread destruction, forcing thousands in Caracas and La Guaira to sleep outdoors due to fears of unstable buildings and ongoing aftershocks. Satellite data showed power outages across several regions, with a noticeable drop in nighttime lighting. Search and rescue teams rushed to find people trapped in the rubble, while the scale of the disaster revealed deep vulnerabilities in infrastructure and emergency response, highlighting the urgent need for stronger building standards and better crisis management.