CARACAS, Venezuela — Rescue teams continued searching for survivors across earthquake-ravaged areas of Venezuela on Monday after a fresh aftershock shook the capital, Caracas, while emergency crews entered their fourth consecutive day of around-the-clock operations following last week’s devastating twin earthquakes.
A magnitude 4.6 aftershock struck north of Caracas early Monday at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremor awakened residents across the capital, although authorities said there were no immediate reports of additional damage.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on social media that the latest quake had not caused further destruction.
Search-and-rescue operations remain concentrated in the coastal state of La Guaira, which suffered some of the worst damage from Wednesday’s powerful earthquakes. Authorities have confirmed that nearly 1,500 people have died, while hundreds of buildings collapsed across the affected region.
Rescue crews continued working overnight with heavy equipment, search dogs and specialized teams as families of those still missing waited for news and hoped additional survivors could be found beneath the rubble.
The disaster has prompted a broad international humanitarian response. Venezuelan authorities said 24 countries have contributed assistance, delivering more than 500 metric tons of relief supplies while deploying over 2,700 rescue and support personnel, along with approximately 86 canine search teams to aid recovery operations.
One of the most encouraging developments came with the rescue of 21-year-old Aaron Levi from the ruins of a collapsed building in La Guaira.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced the rescue on social media, saying the operation succeeded through close coordination among emergency teams from Venezuela, Mexico and El Salvador.
“This rescue was made possible thanks to the coordinated efforts of rescue teams from Venezuela, Mexico, and El Salvador,” Bukele wrote.
Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez also highlighted Levi’s rescue, saying he was pulled alive from the debris after spending 106 hours trapped beneath the collapsed structure. According to Rodriguez, rescuers worked for 43 hours to reach and safely extract him.
The successful rescue has provided renewed hope for families awaiting news of missing relatives, even as the likelihood of finding additional survivors diminishes with each passing day.
Emergency officials said rescue operations will continue as long as there remains a possibility of locating survivors, while humanitarian agencies expand efforts to provide shelter, food and medical assistance to thousands of people displaced by one of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in recent decades.
