Venezuela quake toll tops 900, search intensifies for hundreds trapped

LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA - JUNE 26: Family members and volunteers search through the rubble after two 17-story buildings at the Belo Horizonte residential complex collapsed in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 26, 2026. (Photo by Diko Betancourt/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Desperate Venezuelans and rescue teams raced to find survivors on Friday as the death toll from twin earthquakes rose above 900 with foreign crews and aid only beginning to reach devastated areas nearly two days after the quakes. The government said 172 people remained trapped, 920 were dead and 3,360 injured after the quakes devastated parts of Caracas and surrounding areas on Wednesday evening. More than 50,000 people were reported missing. The ground shook once again Friday afternoon, a weaker 4.9 temblor that was felt in the capital Caracas and nearby Maracay. Frustration mounted over the uneven pace of relief in some of the hardest-hit areas including La Guaira state, where residents and volunteers were still digging through rubble by hand amid shortages of heavy equipment and limited official presence. Jennifer Palacios, 25, said her 6-year-old son and five other relatives remained buried in La Guaira city's eight-tower Hugo Chavez housing complex. "It's the community that has managed to get people out alive," she said. "We need them to bring cranes to move the slabs. …