The death toll from the catastrophic series of earthquakes that rocked Venezuela this week has risen to at least 235, with at least 4,300 injured and thousands more missing as U.S.military leadership has arrived in Caracas to help coordinate relief efforts. The number of dead is expected to climb Friday following back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela on Wednesday night, roughly 120 miles west of Caracas. Venezuelan state TV has broadcast dramatic images of rescues, including a woman who was trapped under a cement slab, only a bare foot poking out before crews managed to get her out alive, The Associated Press reported.
The injured were seen being pulled out of the rubble covered in dust and blood, among them children and animals. U.S.Southern Command said overnight that U.S.
Marine Corps Maj.Gen.
Kevin J.Jarrard arrived in Caracas on Thursday "to oversee Department of War support to Venezuela earthquake relief efforts."TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKESNeighbors carry a man rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the day after earthquakes struck the area.
(Pedro Mattey/AP Photo)SOUTHCOM’s announcement comes as the Trump administration has activated a government-wide humanitarian response, pledging $150 million in aid and deploying U.S.Navy warships to assist in life-saving rescue operations.
"Maj.Gen.
Jarrard is serving as the senior U.S.Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) official on the ground and is working closely with partners to plan, coordinate, and direct the U.S.
military’s unparalleled logistical and operational capabilities to support the rapid, life-saving movement of response personnel, equipment, and humanitarian assistance into affected areas," SOUTHCOM said in a statement, noting that Venezuela’s interim government — led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez — formally re...