Back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening have killed around 235 people and injured at least 4,300, with thousands still reported missing as rescue operations continue across the devastated northern region. The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes—among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century—have exposed a critical vulnerability: the government's longstanding restrictions on social media are now hampering life-saving communication efforts during the disaster.
The United Nations has called on the Venezuelan government to lift social media restrictions so people could share potentially life-saving information. The U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela issued a statement emphasizing that timely access to reliable information can save lives. Shortly after U.N. officials made this appeal, Venezuelans in the country were able to access X, the social media platform that had been blocked by then-President Nicolás Maduro since August 2024 in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential election.
The earthquakes were centered near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. The coastal region of La Guaira, north of the capital, suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. Venezuela's main airport in La Guaira was forced to close because of damage, complicating aid efforts at a critical moment.
The Human Cost
Venezuela Health Minister Carlos Alvarado reported late Thursday that the official death toll had risen to around 235, with at least 4,300 people injured. The International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the quakes, including some 2 million in Caracas alone. The number of casualties is expected to climb as rescue efforts continue.
Families desperate to locate missing relatives have turned to digital platforms—WhatsApp, Facebook, and X—to create digital flyers and seek information. Venezuelans abroad struggled to contact relatives because of interrupted phone service in the country. In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots, and other open spaces, awaiting news of loved ones.
Dayana Delgado, a mother of three, expressed the anguish facing thousands: "I want to know where my child is, if he's trapped or in a shelter," referring to her missing 8-year-old son. One mother sobbed and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her 3- and 10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away. Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross' regional director for the Americas, noted that "people are still terrified to reenter what were their homes."
Cristian Carreño, in La Guaira, said, "I lost everything," and added, "There are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn't get out. It's incredibly devastating." Retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño witnessed the helplessness of the moment: "When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do." He had spotted a woman trapped and signaling with her hand for help.
Rescue Operations and International Response
Caracas metropolitan rescue team head José Luis Núñez reported that a young girl was found alive in a 10-story building in La Guaira that collapsed and flattened "like a pancake." Venezuelan public television showed the girl, covered in dust and wrapping herself in a dark sweatshirt, emerging from rubble with the help of rescuers. Núñez said, "We want to highlight this girl's strength, determination and will to live."
Venezuelan authorities said they were diverting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January, declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She announced the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes, and appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations.
Some 1,000 emergency responders in 25 search-and-rescue teams from across the globe were deploying to Venezuela, said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was immediately deploying assistance, stating, "We have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big; it'll be fast; and it'll be effective," while acknowledging logistical challenges created by the airport closure.
Rescuers with dogs and equipment, including cameras and ground-penetrating radar, arrived from Spain. Teams from Chile and Switzerland also landed, and three military transport planes from Germany with personnel and aid were on the way. Turkey announced two flights would leave Istanbul on Friday with rescuers and a pair of search dogs. China also said it would provide assistance. Leaders from Qatar, Brazil, Portugal, and Canada vowed to send help. Rescue teams from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic arrived in Venezuela on Thursday, along with rescuers and material aid from Mexico. Dominican air force Maj. Carlos Olivares said, "No country is prepared to provide the response that's needed. That's what neighboring countries are there for."
The Seismic Impact
Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil, explained that the one-two punch of the quakes, combined with shallow seismic movements, amplified the destruction. Ferreira said, "It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming, too. That amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard."
Why This Matters:
The Venezuela earthquakes reveal two intersecting crises: the immediate humanitarian catastrophe of natural disaster, and the structural barriers to effective response created by information restrictions. The government's blocking of social media platforms—imposed to suppress political dissent—directly hindered families' ability to locate missing relatives and share critical survival information during the hours when rescue efforts are most effective. The fact that access to X had to be restored only after international pressure during an active disaster underscores how restrictions on communication infrastructure disproportionately harm vulnerable populations when they most need to coordinate and share information. The scale of potential impact—up to 6.76 million people affected—and the closure of the main airport demonstrate how infrastructure damage compounds inequality: those with resources can access alternative communication and transportation, while those without face compounded isolation. The international response reflects both the necessity of multilateral cooperation and the reality that no single nation can adequately respond to such large-scale disasters, making collective action frameworks and transparent information access essential components of disaster resilience.