The death toll from a devastating series of earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week has climbed to at least 235, with more than 4,300 people injured and thousands still unaccounted for, as U.S. military officials arrived in Caracas to help coordinate emergency relief operations.
Authorities warned the number of fatalities could rise further Friday after two powerful earthquakes — measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 — hit northern Venezuela on Wednesday night, about 120 miles west of the capital.
Venezuelan state television aired harrowing footage of rescue efforts, including the recovery of a woman trapped beneath a concrete slab, with only her bare foot visible before crews were able to pull her out alive, The Associated Press reported. Other survivors, including children and animals, were shown being carried from the wreckage covered in dust and blood.
U.S. Southern Command said late Thursday that U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard had arrived in Caracas “to oversee Department of War support to Venezuela earthquake relief efforts.”
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Neighbors carry a man rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the day after earthquakes struck the area. (Pedro Mattey/AP Photo)
SOUTHCOM’s announcement followed the Trump administration’s launch of a broad federal humanitarian response, including a pledge of $150 million in aid and the deployment of U.S. Navy warships to support urgent search-and-rescue missions.
“Maj. Gen. Jarrard is serving as the senior U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) official on the ground and is working closely with partners to plan, coordinate, and direct the U.S. military’s unparalleled logistical and operational capabilities to support the rapid, life-saving movement of response personnel, equipment, and humanitarian assistance into affected areas,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement. The command added that Venezuela’s interim government, led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, had formally asked the United States for assistance.
“Assigned U.S. military forces will utilize fixed and rotor wing aircraft to provide specialized mobility services and assist U.S. Government personnel, search and rescue teams, and partners assessing damage and delivering critical life-saving assistance,” SOUTHCOM added.
Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region on June 24, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
The coastal region of La Guaira, which is located north of Caracas, suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. The country’s main airport is there and was closed due to damage, complicating aid efforts.
Retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño climbed through wreckage in La Guaira and past a body when he spotted a woman who was trapped and signaling with her hand for help, according to the AP.
“May God rescue her as quickly as possible,” Mendaño reportedly said. “When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.”
Venezuelan authorities said they were diverting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira.
Rodríguez also appealed to businesses Thursday to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations.
Patients lie outside a hospital evacuated after it was damaged in an earthquake in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026. (Pedro Mattey/AP)
“We hope to rescue as many living people as possible,” Rodríguez added, referring to La Guaira as a “disaster zone.”
