Venezuela Earthquake Rescuers Pull Two Boys From Rubble After Days

Thirty-three people were pulled alive from earthquake debris in Venezuela over the weekend, including two 11-year-old boys rescued from collapsed buildings within hours of each other on Sunday.

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced the rescues and called the disaster the most brutal natural catastrophe in Venezuela's history, according to BBC News. As of Sunday, at least 1,450 people had been confirmed dead. Tens of thousands remain missing.

The two powerful earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, struck on Wednesday within 39 seconds of each other. Together they caused nearly 800 buildings to collapse, trapping people inside across multiple coastal communities. The hardest-hit area is La Guaira, a coastal region that includes the town of Caraballeda.

One of the rescued boys, named Moises, was found buried under about 3 meters of debris. Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said the rescue team spent six hours conducting what it called high-precision work to reach him. Reuters reported that a rescuer was overheard on a walkie-talkie saying the young boy was found near his sister and mother, who had both died. His eyes were covered to protect them from the sun when he was pulled out. Hours later, Rodriguez posted video on X showing the rescue of a second 11-year-old boy, also in Caraballeda. Also on Sunday, French and American teams rescued a father and his teenage son from the rubble in the same town, according to news agency AFP.

Aid agencies have said the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster are the most critical window for finding survivors alive. That window had passed by Sunday, though rescuers said they had not given up. UN Resident Co-ordinator Gianluca Rampolla told the BBC that experts believe it is still possible to find people alive, but "time is running short."

Families across the affected areas have been digging through rubble themselves, some with their bare hands. Some told the BBC that they could hear people under the debris but could not move the heavy concrete slabs and were waiting for heavy machinery to arrive. A firefighter working in Caraballeda told the BBC the scale of the situation remained overwhelming. "There aren't enough hands," he said. "And it is very, very likely that there are still people trapped."

Rodriguez has continued posting updates and rescue videos to social media. "In these hours, every life is hope for Venezuela," she wrote after the second boy was found. Officials said dozens of buildings in Caraballeda have yet to be searched. Relatives of the missing were entering a fifth night waiting for news.