Officials said more than 3,238 people had been injured, while the United Nations estimated that over 50,000 people remained missing and up to 6.76 million could require humanitarian assistance, including emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation, healthcare and essential relief supplies.

The twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction across northern Venezuela, particularly in the coastal state of La Guaira. Experts say the first 72 hours after a major earthquake provide the highest probability of rescuing survivors trapped beneath debris.

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said rescue workers pulled an 11-year-old boy alive from the rubble in Caraballeda late Saturday, describing the rescue as a source of hope amid the disaster. Earlier, local residents rescued an infant from collapsed buildings approximately 32 hours after the earthquakes struck.

The United States said one runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport had resumed limited operations to receive U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance, while a naval vessel had arrived offshore. Rodriguez said she had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reaffirmed Washington’s support for relief efforts.

Authorities said 21 countries were dispatching search-and-rescue teams, while the United States was sending more than 250 disaster response personnel, including specialized rescue units equipped with search dogs.

The United Nations estimated physical damage at approximately $6.7 billion, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s gross domestic product, highlighting the scale of reconstruction facing the country.

Residents criticized the pace of the emergency response, with some saying they had recovered relatives from collapsed buildings without official assistance. The government has restricted access to the worst-affected areas of La Guaira, requiring volunteers to obtain permits before participating in rescue operations.

The disaster has further strained Venezuela, which continues to grapple with prolonged economic hardship, weakened public services and political instability following the removal of former President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.

Authorities said the victims included foreign nationals from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, China, Chile, Italy and Uruguay, underscoring the international impact of one of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in more than a century.

The quake triggered strong shaking that lasted more than a minute in Palu, a coastal city of around 400,000 people and the capital of Central Sulawesi province, sending residents and hospital staff into open areas as a precaution.

Hospitals evacuated patients, including some still attached to IV drips, while several buildings sustained visible damage including collapsed roofs, cracked walls and debris scattered across streets, according to accounts from the affected area.

Several aftershocks followed the main tremor, including one measured at magnitude 5.2, prompting continued caution among residents who moved away from buildings and coastal zones amid concerns about possible secondary effects.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no tsunami threat following the quake but warned that aftershocks could continue in the region.

The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centered about 43 kilometers east-southeast of Palu at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers, indicating a shallow quake consistent with strong surface shaking.

Local residents described intense tremors and expressed fear due to past disasters, including the 2018 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Palu and surrounding areas, killing more than 4,000 people.

Authorities said assessments of damage and potential casualties were still underway as emergency response teams monitored affected areas and continued safety checks.

Syrian Telecom told the state-run news agency SANA that repair work on the submarine cable system would take time and warned that full restoration of services would not be immediate.

The operator said the incident formed part of what it called a broader “systematic sabotage campaign” targeting Syrian infrastructure, though no further evidence or attribution was provided in the report.

The damaged cable is part of an international undersea network intended to connect 12 countries across North Africa and southern Europe, underscoring the strategic importance of subsea communications infrastructure in the region.

Authorities did not provide details on the cause of the disruption or indicate when service might be fully restored, and independent verification of the circumstances was not immediately available.

The incident adds to a series of reported disruptions affecting Syria’s telecommunications infrastructure in recent years, amid broader challenges to the country’s connectivity and reconstruction efforts following prolonged conflict.

The request came three days after a magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake struck near the southern province of Sarangani, killing at least 47 people, injuring 688 and leaving 31 others missing, according to disaster management officials.

More than 45,000 residents remained displaced, with roughly half staying in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 homes across farming towns and urban centers in the affected region. Provincial authorities said many residents were reluctant to return home because of continuing aftershocks.

The hardest-hit province was Sarangani, where 20 fatalities were reported, most linked to a landslide that buried homes in the coastal municipality of Glan, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

Glan Mayor Victor James Yap said 10 of the town’s 31 villages remained inaccessible, largely due to landslides that blocked roads and cut off transport links. The municipality, home to more than 100,000 residents, continued to face severe logistical challenges in distributing aid.

“We need food and water but it’s difficult to transport them to some of our villages which remain isolated,” Yap told DZMM radio, urging the government to deploy air force helicopters to reach communities cut off from ground access.

Yap said a major road leading into the town had reopened, allowing fuel deliveries to resume as early as Thursday. However, electricity had yet to be restored and cellular communication services remained unreliable across parts of the municipality.

Most earthquake-related deaths were caused by collapsing structures, falling debris and landslides in Sarangani, General Santos City and the neighboring provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.
The disaster also triggered coastal hazards. Two swimmers drowned and another remained missing after being swept out to sea near General Santos shortly after the quake.

Authorities recorded waves reaching up to 1.4 meters above normal tide levels in parts of the southern Philippines, while smaller sea surges were detected in Indonesia, Palau and southern Japan.

The earthquake ranks among the strongest to strike the Philippines in the last five decades. It follows the magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami of August 1976, one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters, which killed about 8,000 people.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur due to the movement of major tectonic plates.

Rescue operations continued in General Santos City, one of the areas hardest hit by Monday’s earthquake, after a strong aftershock forced emergency personnel to evacuate a partially collapsed three-story grocery building where search teams were looking for a missing employee.

Approximately 30 firefighters and coast guard personnel scrambled to safety when fresh tremors shook the damaged structure, sending concrete debris crashing from the building. Rescue operations were temporarily halted while authorities reassessed safety conditions at the site.

The earthquake, among the strongest to strike the Philippines in decades, caused widespread destruction across southern Mindanao, the country’s second-most populous region. Officials said more than 25,000 people remained displaced, many housed in 45 government-run evacuation centers as persistent aftershocks heightened fears of additional building collapses.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the earthquake had generated more than 2,100 aftershocks, including several reaching magnitudes of up to 6.4. Such tremors remain capable of causing further structural damage and casualties, he said.

Authorities reported that more than 3,100 homes were damaged along with 29 roads, 11 bridges and over 100 government buildings. The international airport in General Santos sustained damage and remains closed to commercial operations, although government and military flights carrying relief supplies and disaster-response personnel continue to operate.

Education officials said roughly 6,000 public school buildings in affected provinces would require safety inspections before classes could resume. The earthquake struck on the first day of the new academic term following a two-month summer break, leaving many students among those injured.

Most fatalities were attributed to falling debris from collapsed structures and landslides in General Santos and the neighboring provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental. Authorities also reported one death linked to unusually strong sea currents generated after the quake.

The Philippine Coast Guard said seven swimmers near General Santos were swept away shortly after the earthquake. Three were rescued, one returned to shore independently, one drowned and two remain missing.

Seismologists said the earthquake originated in the Cotabato Trench, an undersea fault system off southern Mindanao. The trench was also responsible for the devastating 8.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 1976 that killed about 8,000 people.

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries and regularly experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity due to intense tectonic movement beneath the region.

The quake, the strongest to hit the Philippines this year, struck off the coast of Mindanao island at 7:37 a.m. local time, causing widespread panic and disruption across several southern provinces.

Authorities said the death toll rose after at least 17 fatalities were reported in Sarangani province, where a landslide buried homes in the mountainous town of Glan.Rene Punzalan, a disaster mitigation official in Sarangani, said 13 villagers were killed in the landslide, while four others died elsewhere in the province.

The new casualties brought the overall death toll from the earthquake to at least 32.The earthquake damaged buildings, disrupted transportation and displaced thousands of residents. Philippine disaster officials said most fatalities were caused by collapsing structures, landslides and falling debris across the provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, Davao Occidental and nearby Balut Island.

In General Santos City, a regional commercial hub with a population of more than 700,000, several buildings were severely damaged or collapsed, including a popular fast-food restaurant. Seven people were reported killed in the city, while police said at least 12 others remained missing.

Search and rescue operations were underway at damaged structures, including a warehouse and commercial buildings, according to emergency responders.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes in affected areas and directed national disaster agencies to mobilize emergency assistance.

Officials said more than 100 students suffered minor injuries or fainted during school flag-raising ceremonies as the quake struck shortly after public schools reopened following the summer break.The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake occurred near Maasim town in Sarangani province at a depth of about 33 kilometers.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the depth at 55 kilometers, differences that are common during initial assessments.Authorities recorded multiple aftershocks, including tremors reaching magnitude 6.5, and warned residents to avoid returning to damaged buildings until structural inspections are completed.The quake generated tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific.

Waves of up to 1.4 meters were recorded along sections of the Philippine coastline, while smaller waves were detected in Indonesia, Palau and Japan.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said the broader tsunami threat had largely passed, prompting Philippine authorities to lift evacuation warnings by mid-afternoon.

The earthquake temporarily shut General Santos International Airport and led to the cancellation of 17 domestic flights, according to aviation authorities.Situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries and frequently experiences major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones.

The flooding struck the Havza district in Samsun province after heavy rains caused local rivers to overflow, sending fast-moving water through streets and sweeping away vehicles and debris, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Emergency footage broadcast by local media showed submerged roads and stranded residents, including a truck driver standing atop his vehicle awaiting rescue as floodwaters surged around him.

Authorities said basement and ground-floor levels of multiple buildings were flooded as rescue teams worked overnight to evacuate residents and clear blocked streets.

Anadolu reported that none of the injured were in critical condition. Some victims sought treatment independently, while others were transported to hospitals by emergency responders.

Firefighters, police units and disaster response teams were deployed across the district to assist stranded residents and remove debris left behind by the floodwaters.

Turkiye has faced repeated episodes of severe flooding in recent years, particularly along the Black Sea region, where mountainous terrain and intense seasonal rainfall have increased the risk of flash floods and landslides.

Medics said one Palestinian was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli airstrike near the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, while a separate Israeli tank shelling in the central part of the enclave killed another person and injured several more.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the reported strikes.Hostilities have persisted in Gaza despite the truce, with near-daily incidents reported by local authorities. Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire terms.At Al-Shifa Hospital, relatives gathered to mourn one of the victims, identified as Mohammed Al-Ghandour, according to hospital officials.

Witnesses described scenes of grief as family members assembled outside the morgue.Local medics say at least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, while Israeli authorities report that militants have killed four Israeli soldiers over the same period.

Israel says its operations are aimed at preventing attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.More than 72,500 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities, with civilians accounting for a majority of the casualties.

Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces have maintained control over more than half of the enclave, where large-scale destruction and displacement have left much of the population of over 2 million living in makeshift shelters or damaged buildings along the coast.

The commemoration comes as Kyiv accuses Moscow of repeatedly sending missiles and drones along flight paths near the former Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant while attacking Ukrainian cities, including a February 2025 drone strike that damaged the plant’s protective confinement structure.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the original 1986 catastrophe was caused by a reactor experiment ordered by Soviet authorities in Moscow in violation of safety rules and followed by concealment of the scale of the disaster.

“The Chernobyl disaster was the result of a reactor experiment ordered by Moscow, in violation of safety protocols, and followed by lies and cover-ups,” the ministry said in a statement this week.

Millions of people across Europe were exposed to radiation after reactor four exploded during a late-night safety test on April 26, 1986, sending radioactive material across large parts of the continent.

Hundreds of thousands were evacuated, while vast agricultural and residential areas were rendered unsafe for habitation.Thousands later developed radiation-related illnesses, including cancer, though the total death toll remains disputed among researchers and international agencies.

A major international engineering effort led to the installation in 2016 of a vast steel and concrete confinement arch over the original sarcophagus hastily built after the explosion to contain radioactive debris.

That structure, designed to prevent further contamination, was punctured during a Russian drone strike in February 2025, Ukrainian officials said.

While no radiation leaks were detected, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates repairs will require at least 500 million euros to prevent lasting damage.

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s top state prosecutor told that radar systems had detected at least 92 Russian drones flying within five kilometers of the protective shield since June 2024, raising renewed international concern over the safety of the site.

Russia has denied accusations of deliberately endangering nuclear facilities during the war, while previous disputes over attacks near energy infrastructure have intensified fears of a broader nuclear emergency.

Located about 100 kilometers north of Kyiv, the plant remains inside a 2,600-square-kilometer exclusion zone established after the disaster. Around 2,250 employees continue to work in rotating shifts to oversee the long-term decommissioning of the site.

The plant’s final operational reactor was shut down in 2000.The control room of reactor four now stands dark and rusted, filled with damaged Soviet-era machinery left as a reminder of the explosion.Outside, wildlife including moose and wild horses roam through the abandoned forests and the nearby ghost city of Pripyat, where nature has reclaimed neighborhoods once evacuated in haste.

Security concerns continue to shape official remembrance ceremonies in wartime Ukraine, with authorities typically withholding details of commemorations in advance to reduce risks from missile and drone attacks.

For many Ukrainians, the anniversary now serves not only as a memorial to a Soviet-era catastrophe, but also as a warning of how war can once again place Europe’s nuclear safety at risk.

Fedorishchev, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said four people, including one child, had been rescued from the debris. He did not provide details on casualties or the extent of damage.

The incident occurred in Syzran, a city on the Volga River, amid ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine that have increasingly involved cross-border drone strikes.

Authorities have not released further information on the scale of the attack or whether additional people remain trapped. Rescue teams were continuing efforts at the site, according to the governor’s statement.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.