Venezuela earthquakes updates: 3-year-old boy pulled out of rubble after 6 days

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening.

ByKevin Shalvey and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: June 30, 2026, 4:18 PM EDT

At least 1,943 people have died and another 10,571 people were injured from a pair of powerful earthquakes that devastated Venezuela, officials said.

The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street.

Responders are still undertaking rescue operations, searching for people thought to be under the rubble.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Jun 30, 2026, 2:33 PM EDT

Woman speaks out after surviving earthquake with newborn

Dayana Patiño and her son Juan David were pulled from the rubble of their collapsed apartment building early Friday after being trapped for more than 30 hours.

Rescuers were able to get water to the infant by sliding a straw through a pipe amid the rubble, Patiño said.

"The one who gave me the strength not to fall into despair was my son," Patiño told ABC News in Spanish. "I kept saying, 'As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive.'"

Click here to read more.

A rescuer works at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 29, 2026.
Gaby Oraa/Reuters
Jun 30, 2026, 2:26 PM EDT

Death toll rises to at least 1,943

The death toll in Venezuela has climbed to 1,943, Venezuelan lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said Tuesday.

Another 10,571 people were injured, he said.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, he said.

This aerial view shows a heavily damaged coastal area with collapsed buildings and debris following the June 24 twin earthquakes in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, Venezuela, June 29, 2026.
Yorman Maldonado/AFP via Getty Images
Jun 29, 2026, 2:37 PM EDT

Death toll rises to 1,719

The death toll in Venezuela has climbed to 1,719, Venezuelan lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said.

Another 5,034 people were injured, he said.

Rescue workers search through the rubble of a building that collapsed when earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, June 28, 2026.
Matias Delacroix/AP Photo
Jun 29, 2026, 2:35 PM EDT

'We are procuring 10,000 body bags,' UN envoy says

As the death toll rises, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro said, "We are procuring … 10,000 body bags."

"At least 2,500 structures are affected, most of which fully collapsed," he said.

A woman reacts at a shelter for the victims of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean, June 28, 2026 in Carabellada, La Guaira, Venezuela.
Jesus Vargas/Getty Images

A member of Gideon Rescue Company and a rescue dog take part in rescue efforts, after earthquakes hit the country, in Tanaguarena neighborhood, La Guaira, Venezuela, June 28, 2026.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

Rampolla del Tindaro said the Venezuelan government is still leading search and rescue operations.

"We are beyond the 72-hour critical window, but this is one of the miracles of this country -- rescuers are still being able to pull out alive people," he said. "Yesterday alone, seven persons were moved out of the rubble."

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