The rescue marked one of the most significant survival operations since the earthquakes struck on Wednesday, which left at least 1,450 people dead and devastated communities across La Guaira, the worst-affected region.

French Civil Security personnel and members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team from Virginia spent about 12 hours carefully removing unstable debris after locating the pair with specialized search cameras. The operation required rescuers to stabilize the structure while gradually reaching the trapped survivors.

The father and son, both visibly exhausted and wearing protective masks, were carried through debris-covered streets on improvised fabric stretchers before being transferred to a waiting ambulance as residents and emergency workers gathered nearby.

“They are extremely weak, as any patient trapped under rubble for four days would be, so we are doing everything possible to rehydrate them and administer various medications during the extraction process, which is moving very slowly,” a member of the French Civil Security said during the rescue.

Rescue teams established intravenous drips and cleared debris before completing the extraction, while other personnel continued searching the surrounding ruins for additional signs of life and coordinating efforts with colleagues working inside the collapsed structures.

The same multinational rescue contingent rescued a mother and her 9-month-old baby from the rubble a day earlier, underscoring the continuing effort to locate survivors despite increasingly difficult conditions.

Authorities said at least 33 people were rescued alive over the weekend, although tens of thousands remain missing, intensifying concerns that opportunities to find additional survivors are rapidly diminishing.

Disaster response specialists have long noted that survival rates typically decline sharply after the first 72 hours following a major earthquake, making prolonged rescues increasingly rare as search operations continue.

The rescue came after hours of coordinated efforts involving Venezuelan responders alongside teams from France and the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team from Virginia, who located the pair beneath the debris of a collapsed structure in one of the regions hardest hit by Wednesday’s magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.

The father emerged first, visibly exhausted and covered in dust while still holding his mobile phone. Rescuers immediately administered intravenous fluids before carefully carrying him on a stretcher through debris-filled streets. Minutes later, his shirtless son was extracted from the same structure and rushed to a waiting ambulance.

“Slow, slow, gentle, gentle,” rescuers repeatedly called in Spanish and English as emergency personnel passed the survivors through a line of responders and onlookers to awaiting medical teams.

The successful operation injected fresh optimism into rescue efforts that have entered a critical phase, with disaster specialists noting that the chances of finding survivors decline sharply after the first 72 hours beneath collapsed structures.

Authorities said at least 1,450 people have been killed, while thousands more were injured and many others remain missing following the twin earthquakes, the deadliest natural disaster to strike Venezuela in decades.

The father and son’s rescue followed another successful operation in which international teams saved a woman after she spent approximately 70 hours trapped beneath the rubble. Emergency responders also rescued several other survivors over the weekend as search operations continued across the affected coastal region.

Rescue crews, volunteers and local residents remain engaged in painstaking searches across collapsed neighborhoods, using specialized equipment to detect signs of life while carefully removing unstable debris.

The multinational response includes Venezuelan emergency services working alongside international rescue specialists, as helicopters, heavy equipment and medical teams continue operations across the disaster zone.

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 earthquake occurred at 7:42 p.m. local time (1142 GMT) at a depth of 65.7 km (41 miles), with its epicenter located about 21 km southwest of the town of Sarangani on Mindanao island, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage following the quake. Authorities also issued no tsunami warning, indicating that the earthquake was not expected to generate hazardous sea waves.

Data shared by earthquake monitoring platform GlobalQuake indicated that approximately 6.4 million people experienced the tremor, with an estimated 168,100 people located in areas where shaking was strongest. The figures were preliminary and had not been independently verified by Philippine authorities.

The latest earthquake struck in one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast arc of seismic faults and volcanoes where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently due to the movement of tectonic plates.

The tremor comes less than three weeks after a major earthquake struck the same part of the southern Philippines, leaving more than 80 people dead and highlighting the region’s continued vulnerability to seismic hazards.

Rodríguez announced the updated toll while welcoming foreign rescue crews arriving from several countries, saying emergency operations remain focused on locating people trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped. We are working tirelessly on this task,” Rodríguez said, adding that the coastal state of La Guaira had suffered the most severe devastation from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening. She said the area had been placed under military control to facilitate rescue operations and the distribution of food, water and emergency supplies.

The revised casualty figures marked a sharp increase from earlier official estimates as emergency workers gained access to more affected areas. Authorities said thousands of people remain unaccounted for, with rescue efforts continuing around the clock.

The International Organization for Migration estimated that up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the disaster, including about 2 million residents of Caracas. The International Red Cross said many survivors remained afraid to return to damaged homes because of continuing structural risks.

The earthquakes caused widespread destruction across northern Venezuela, flattening residential buildings, damaging critical infrastructure and forcing thousands of residents to spend nights in parks and open spaces. Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas remained closed after sustaining damage, complicating the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Rodríguez said the government had established a $200 million reconstruction fund to repair hospitals, homes and public infrastructure, while urging private companies to provide heavy machinery to support rescue operations.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said approximately 1,000 emergency responders from 25 international search-and-rescue teams were deploying to Venezuela.

The United States said it had mobilized a broad humanitarian response despite logistical challenges caused by the airport closure. Spain dispatched specialist rescue teams equipped with search dogs, rescue cameras and ground-penetrating radar, while Chile, Switzerland and Germany also sent personnel and relief supplies. Turkiye announced the deployment of rescue teams with trained search dogs, and China pledged assistance. Qatar, Brazil, Portugal, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic also offered support or deployed aid teams.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquakes struck near Morón on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers west of Caracas. Seismologists said the shallow depth and the rapid succession of the two powerful earthquakes significantly amplified the level of destruction across the affected region.

Venezuela lies near the boundary of the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates, although earthquakes of this magnitude are relatively uncommon in the country compared with other parts of Latin America.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 8 near the Cotabato Trench off Mindanao, triggering landslides, damaging infrastructure and causing widespread displacement. Scientists say the quake also generated significant coastal uplift, a geological process in which tectonic forces force sections of land upward.

Initial assessments by Philippine seismologists indicate that parts of the seabed rose by as much as two meters, extending the shoreline by up to 200 meters in some areas and transforming previously submerged coral reefs into exposed stretches of land.

“What they see now is their new coastline,” said Nane Danlag of the Philippine seismology agency, adding that the changes are permanent.

The affected zone stretches across nearly 100 kilometers of coastline between communities in southern Mindanao, according to preliminary surveys.

Residents described witnessing the transformation as it unfolded. Arsenio Butil Jr., a fisherman and pastor from Sarangani province’s Glan municipality, said the sea repeatedly receded and returned during the earthquake.

“What I saw at the shoreline was that the water receded. After a while, I saw it slowly returning. And then it receded again. Maybe three or four times,” he said.

The newly elevated coastline has left fishing boats stranded far from the water and exposed large expanses of coral that had previously been underwater.

The geological shift has also heightened anxiety among residents already traumatized by the disaster. In a hillside evacuation site near the coast, around 100 displaced villagers continued to shelter in temporary conditions more than a week after the earthquake.

Many fear that further seismic activity could trigger a tsunami despite reassurances from experts.

“What if the sea surges forward? That is what everyone fears,” said Datu Atom Malimpnig, a local community leader whose village was heavily affected.

The changes are also threatening tourism-dependent businesses. Resort operators along the coast say the exposed coral and shallower waters have altered beachfront landscapes that once attracted visitors.

Edzel Baylon, an employee at the Isla Jardin del Mar resort, said the area’s white-sand beaches are now separated from the sea by broad stretches of uplifted coral.

“It has a huge effect on the resort, because the main draw for customers is the sea,” Baylon said.

Seismologists noted that the Cotabato Trench is among the Philippines’ most active seismic zones. Thousands of smaller tremors were recorded in the area earlier this year, and authorities have logged more than 8,500 aftershocks since the June 8 earthquake.

Scientists say the coastal uplift is part of a natural tectonic process that has shaped the region over thousands of years, although the scale of the changes has been striking for residents witnessing the transformation firsthand.

With aftershocks continuing across the region, many families remain reluctant to rebuild homes damaged by the earthquake, citing concerns about cracked ground and the possibility of further strong tremors.

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.

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.