The death toll from a pair of major earthquakes that struck Venezuela earlier this week has climbed to at least 589, with at least 2,980 people injured and thousands more reported missing. The number of dead is expected to rise further as rescue operations continue.
The two earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, hit northern Venezuela on Wednesday night, approximately 120 miles west of Caracas. The coastal region of La Guaira, located north of the capital, suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. Venezuela's main airport sits in that region and was closed due to damage, complicating the delivery of aid and personnel.
According to Fox News, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard arrived in Caracas on Thursday to lead American military coordination of the relief effort. U.S. Southern Command confirmed his arrival and described his role in a statement. "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.
The Trump administration pledged $150 million in aid and deployed U.S. Navy warships to assist in rescue operations. Venezuela's interim government, led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, formally requested American assistance. SOUTHCOM said assigned military forces would use fixed and rotor wing aircraft to support search and rescue teams and deliver critical assistance.
Venezuelan state television broadcast footage of rescues in progress. One showed a woman trapped under a cement slab, with only a bare foot visible before crews pulled her out alive, according to the Associated Press. Others showed injured survivors, including children and animals, being pulled from rubble covered in dust and blood.
In La Guaira, retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño climbed through wreckage past a body before spotting a trapped woman signaling for help. "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 redirecting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira. Rodríguez also appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations.
