A chilling video from quake-hit Venezuela shows a building collapsing into a massive cloud of dust as panicked onlookers scream and run for safety. The footage comes as rescue teams continue to search for survivors more than a week after twin earthquakes devastated the South American country.
The footage, shared by AFP on X, shows the structure suddenly giving way and crashing to the ground in a matter of seconds, highlighting the scale of destruction caused by the powerful twin earthquakes that struck the South American nation last week.
The collapse is among the most dramatic visuals to emerge from the disaster that has left thousands dead, tens of thousands missing and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble.
Twin earthquakes among strongest in Venezuela’s history
Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude on June 24, with the two tremors occurring just 39 seconds apart. The quakes were the strongest to hit the country in more than a century and rank among the worst earthquake disasters in Latin American history.
The back-to-back quakes caused extensive damage across the capital Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, where several residential complexes collapsed entirely. At the sprawling Los Cocos housing complex in La Guaira, six of the eight apartment towers reportedly came down during the disaster.
Authorities have so far confirmed 1,943 deaths and more than 10,500 injuries, while tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for. Officials estimate that around 20,000 people either escaped or were rescued in the worst-hit areas.
Race against time
Search and rescue operations have continued well beyond the critical 72-hour window considered crucial for survival beneath rubble.
In one of the few moments of hope amid the devastation, rescuers pulled a three-year-old boy alive from the debris in La Guaira six days after the earthquakes struck. The rescue, carried out by a Jordanian team, renewed hopes that more survivors could still be found beneath collapsed buildings.
More than 27 countries, including India, have sent nearly 40 search-and-rescue teams, involving over 2,000 personnel and more than 160 sniffer dogs to assist Venezuelan authorities. Rescue teams from the US, Mexico, Jordan, Spain and several Latin American countries have joined local emergency workers in the massive operation.
59,000+ buildings damaged or destroyed
Preliminary satellite assessments by NASA and researchers have estimated that as many as 58,870 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed by the twin earthquakes — a figure vastly higher than initial official estimates.
The United Nations estimates that around seven million people could be affected by the disaster, while economic losses could reach nearly $6.7 billion, equivalent to roughly six per cent of Venezuela’s GDP.
Thousands of people remain displaced, with authorities setting up dozens of temporary shelters across Caracas, La Guaira and neighbouring states.
Food shortages, disease fears deepen
As rescue efforts continue, aid agencies have warned of a worsening humanitarian emergency.
The UN and humanitarian organisations have reported shortages of food, clean water and shelter in several affected areas, particularly in La Guaira. The World Health Organization has also warned of a heightened risk of outbreaks of diseases such as measles and diphtheria due to overwhelmed hospitals and low vaccination coverage before the earthquake struck.
Many residents have criticised the government’s response, saying families have often been left to search for relatives with their bare hands while waiting for heavy equipment and rescue teams to arrive. Morgues and hospitals in some areas have also struggled to cope with the scale of the disaster.
