Volunteer crowds clog Venezuela quake rescue efforts as toll soars

A surge of volunteers and civilian vehicles jammed the only road into Venezuela’s hardest-hit quake zone on June 25, slowing rescue crews trying to reach trapped survivors in La Guaira state. Officials struggled to move heavy equipment into neighborhoods where buildings had collapsed and electricity remained scarce.

Two earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within a minute of each other on June 25, rattling communities north of Caracas and inflicting the worst damage in La Guaira, the coastal state where access was already fragile. The toll was at least 188 dead, rose above 900 by June 27 and passed 1,400 by June 28. Hundreds remained trapped, thousands more were unaccounted for, and at least 1,520 people had been hospitalized.

The destruction spread across a narrow corridor of cities and towns that included La Guaira, Maiquetía and Morón, where roads cracked and power shortages hampered the emergency response. Nearly 3,000 families were homeless and about 250 buildings had been damaged or destroyed. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said La Guaira had become a disaster zone and that the government was working with businesses to deploy heavy machinery to speed rescue efforts.

Volunteers, relatives and other civilians rushed toward the disaster area to search for survivors and deliver supplies, and the influx of people and vehicles clogged access routes used by emergency crews. Officials told people to stay away from La Guaira because the jammed roads were hampering rescue operations.

According to the United Nations, more than 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries had been deployed to Venezuela. By June 27, 1,600 foreign rescuers were already on the ground. The U.N. estimated the quake’s direct physical damage at $6.7 billion.

The 1997 Cariaco quake killed 73 people and injured 531. The 1967 Caracas earthquake killed about 236 to 300 people and injured about 1,536.