Will Grant
North America correspondent, reporting on the way to La Guaira

Amid the devastation, Venezuela briefly waived its normally strict visa rules and let the international media in.

Now, after the event, the authorities are issuing us with temporary accreditations and are controlling press access to the worst-hit area of La Guaira.

We have all been loaded on to state buses and are on our way to the coast to witness the rescue teams in action and see the destruction. It’s not clear if we will have free rein to move around and film.

But after the initial impact and confusion of the twin earthquakes, this feels like the government’s attempt to impose some order on the chaos.

Critics say that should hardly be the priority in a tragedy of these dimensions.

Katie Williams
Live reporter

Image source, Josh Macabuag

I’ve just spoken to Josh Macabuag, an engineer at UK-based charity Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (Saraid).

Saraid is working to assist rescue efforts in Venezuela.

While many have been talking about a 72-hour "golden window" for rescues, he says there is "no hard cut-off" but, essentially, "time is of the essence".

With every hour, "survivability reduces" with survival rates falling in a "continuous curve".

Macabuag, who has on-the-ground experience in the aftermath of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, says the last person his team saved was "well over 100 hours later", although this sort of "miracle" rescues are "rare".

Orla Guerin
Reporting from Valencia, Venezuela

More international search and rescue teams have arrived in Venezuela to help with efforts to find survivors from Wednesday’s twin earthquakes, as the crucial 72-hour window draws to a close.

Experts say after this period the chances of finding anyone alive fall sharply.

The arrivals area in Valencia airport - about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Caracas - was bustling with dozens of rescue workers moving fast to collect bulky baggage and equipment.

A sniffer dog was in among the throng of teams from Ecuador, Chile and Mexico, who flew in from Panama City.

Before landing, one passenger - a Venezuelan himself - thanked all the rescue teams on board for coming to help his people and his nation, his voice breaking as he spoke.

On landing, the rescuers were thanked by airport staff standing on the blistering hot tarmac. There were cheers and more thanks from local people in the arrival area.

For families waiting desperately beside piles of rubble three days on, well-equipped international teams may be their best chance of recovering loved ones.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Valencia, Venezuela

There was a lot of anticipation on my flight into Venezuela today. It was filled with rescuers coming to help the search efforts here.

Among them was a team of more than 30 from Panama, including firefighters and medics, plus two rescue dogs.

One woman told me she’s responded to natural disasters around the world, including the 2023 earthquake in Turkey. She said she was eager to get moving as quickly as possible.

The groups crowded around the luggage carriers, picking up heavy rescue equipment.

When they left the airport, they were greeted with a hero’s welcome - crowds cheering, and some holding up signs.

"Welcome to Venezuela! Thank you so much," one said.

Image source, Reuters

As it approaches 72 hours since the earthquakes hit Venezuela, rescuers are working to pull out as many survivors as possible.

Hector Mendez, from a Mexican search and rescue team, tells the Reuters news agency he has been working in Chacao, Miranda state, non-stop since last night.

He says he has recovered the body of a woman, with her dog in her arms.

"The dog came out alive, but the woman unfortunately died," he says. "We are working now, as you can see, to try to recover the body of the woman’s son."

"This is something terrible," he says.

Meanwhile, Yamile Santana, a resident of Caracas whose son and partner are missing after a building collapse, says she still has hope her loved ones will come out alive.

But she says there does not seem to be enough machinery and equipment to clear the rubble.

"I ask - please - to send people who are capable of helping us, and that they don’t stop searching.

"Because they told me today that they want to stop searching, and that’s not right, because we still hope our loved ones come out alive. Please don’t stop searching."

We can now bring you more from top lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez's speech.

The lawmaker says the earthquakes are "the most disastrous event this republic has suffered in the last 123 years".

As well as providing updated death and injury tolls, he says 3,142 families are currently in shelters.

There have been 430 subsequent aftershocks following the two earthquakes on Wednesday, he adds.

Rodríguez calls on people to stay at home and avoid travelling to La Guaira state - the worst-hit area which he says suffered "tremendous devastation".

The death toll has risen to 1,430, with 3,238 injured, according to top lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez, speaking on state TV now.

We will bring you more from his speech soon.

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

It has been more than 60 hours since Venezuela was struck by twin earthquakes, and the race to find survivors is more urgent than ever.

Here is what has been happening so far.

The search continues: Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in an overnight briefing that she still had "faith and hope" survivors would be rescued.

In La Guaira: Rodríguez said 60% of electricity services had been restored in the worst-affected state.

No update on the death toll: The acting president did not give an update on the death toll. The most recent official figure came on Friday - confirming 920 deaths and more than 3,300 injuries.

Global response: Countries around the world continue to send rescue missions to Venezuela. The UN's co-ordination system shows at least 20 international rescue teams have been deployed, with 32 others mobilising.

Number of missing unclear: UN aid chief Tom Fletcher told AFP it could be more than 50,000. A website, external - which lets Venezuelans self-report their missing loved ones - has received reports of about 68,000 people missing at the time of writing. About 13,000 are reportedly located - but because the website relies on people actively reporting people as missing and found, the true figure is uncertain.

Nicole Kolster
Contributor to BBC Mundo, in La Guaira

In La Guaira, a local man with a drone has become an unlikely source of hope. For two days he has been flying his drone over the destruction. He is a volunteer, and families come to him desperate for news or a sighting of their loved ones they cannot reach.

We all gather around the screen; seeing the scale of the destruction and devastation from above is shocking. Among the rubble in the top corner of a high-rise building, we see a motionless body, a woman. She is still unidentified.

“This is the only confirmed fatality I’ve seen on my drone,” he tells a young woman who is searching for her relative. She stands opposite nervously biting her nails as she directs the man flying the drone.

“What other angle do you want to see?” he asks her.

The search is cut short by what feels like an aftershock. Panic sets in, and people begin to run.

Dan Johnson
Reporting from Cúcuta, Colombia

The situation in Venezuela is desperate.

There is a sense that the next few hours will be critical for saving anyone who is still trapped. People with search and rescue experience talk about a 72-hour window.

About 2,000 search and rescue officials are heading into Venezuela from right across world - but getting people to the right area with the right equipment is a complex task.

Despite being in a risk zone, Venezuelan authorities were ill-prepared for this sort of disaster - both in terms of building standards and the emergency response.

Political instability and corruption have contributed to an underfunded health system and search and rescue service.

There is widespread poverty, communications are difficult, and infrastructure is poor, meaning getting around the country is complex.

There are reports of tens of thousands missing - whether this translates into deaths will take time to see.

We will also have to see how open and transparent Venezuelan authorities are in terms of recording and reporting this information.

At the moment, the death toll still stands at less than 1,000 - the fear is that the total will climb significantly.

Satellite images show damage to Venezuela's main airportpublished at 16:55 BST

16:55 BST

Image source, Vantor 2026

By Paul Brown and Daniele Palumbo

Cracks have appeared on the runway of Simon Bolivar International Airport following this week's earthquakes, new satellite imagery has revealed.

The image, captured by Vantor yesterday, shows at least two cracks in the surface of the runway, although it is unclear how deep they are.

Damage is also visible to the airport terminal building, seen in the before and after photos below.

The image shows what appears to be the partial implosion of two raised sections along the main concourse. Debris can be seen scattered across the roof, but there are no signs of a complete structural collapse.

The location of this damage corresponds to dramatic footage showing people running in panic as sections of the ceiling fell to the ground.

The video was filmed near gate 8, which is just next to one of the damaged sections.

The airport has been largely out of operation since Wednesday's earthquakes, although some rescue teams and aid supplies have arrived in the last 24 hours.

Image source, Google/Vantor 2026

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez has just given another update on social media, saying that more machinery has been mobilised to help with life-saving recovery efforts in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

This follows an overnight update from Rodríguez, a video of which has been circulated by Venezuelan media. In it, she says:

• Electricity services in La Guaira state have been restored to 60%, and the government hopes to make more progress on Sunday when it recovers an electrical tower that fell on a mountain
• The "most important" task and "our priority" is the rescue of people who are still alive, she says, adding that she has "faith and hope that we are going to rescue them"
• Rodríguez thanks countries around the world for their "helping hand", noting that an Italian rescue mission has just landed with ten more countries expected to join across Saturday
• La Guaira state remains "militarised" to "guarantee its security", and "14,000 personnel - both military and police" will be conducting "permanent patrols" of the streets, she adds

At least 20 international search and rescue groups have been sent to Venezuela, according to the UN's Global Disaster Awareness and Coordination System.

This includes nine teams classified as "heavy", eight as "medium" and three as "light".

Countries that have sent teams include Switzerland, the US, the Netherlands, France, Qatar, the Czech Republic, Jordan, the UK, Spain, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Turkey, Italy and Lithuania.

Thirty-two other teams are currently mobilising, the UN says, bringing the total to 52 teams - and over 2,265 rescuers.

It adds that the total number of rescue dogs currently being sent is 140.

Specialised teams have already started arriving and are working with other personnel on the ground, it says.

Earlier, we shared pictures of rescuers at various airports en route to Venezuela.

Venezuela's Simón Bolívar International Airport was damaged in the earthquake but is open to charter flights, the UN says.

In an overnight address, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez said 14,000 military and police members were in La Guaira - the worst-affected area - to patrol and administer sanitary measures.

Image source, Reuters

The International Red Cross says rescue efforts are being slowed by blocked roads and widespread destruction following the earthquakes in Venezuela.

Regional director for the Americas, Loyce Pace, tells the BBC World Service's Newshour that rescue teams "have had to convert to motorcycles and other forms of transportation [rather than ambulances] because the streets are quite crowded with people."

Strong aftershocks continue to threaten damaged buildings, making rescue operations more dangerous.

"Time is very much running out for any survivors that might still be under the rubble. We need to reach them as quickly and as easily as possible," she says.

There have also been extraordinary tales of survival and humanity.

Pace describes how one Red Cross worker rescued his family from the rubble "with his bare hands", while others have been singing to people trapped beneath collapsed buildings to reassure them they had not been forgotten while rescue teams worked to reach them.

We are now receiving images showing how the earthquakes have damaged the state of La Guaira, one of the worst-affected areas.

Rubble from buildings can be seen in multiple places - and even buildings that are still standing, walls have fallen off.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Warning: This post contains distressing details.

One man in La Guaira tells BBC Mundo "there is no sophisticated equipment" to carry out rescue operations.

Civilians have joined the search and rescue efforts and are calling for a stronger presence from the state, contributor to BBC MundoNicole Kloster says.

A young person can be seen using a drone to try to locate people.

Meanwhile, some families have returned to damaged buildings to try to recover belongings. "We are trying to recover... clothes and documents," a woman with a child says, adding that she lives on the 15th floor.

"We are sleeping at the airport, in the car... we have nothing. It is very sad," she says.

One woman says "you can already smell the deceased".

She says two buildings collapsed in the immediate vicinity.

Orla Guerin
Reporting from an aid flight to Venezuela

We are on board a commercial flight set to take off from Panama City for Valencia in Venezuela.

Search and rescue workers streamed on to the plane, some wearing their white helmets, all in high visibility jackets, most loaded with backpacks.

A sniffer dog has also come on board. There’s just been a round of applause for all the search teams and for the airline - COPA - which is transporting them and their equipment free.

One of the passengers is a Venezuelan from La Guaira, the worst affected area. He is rushing home to try to support relatives and friends. He looks exhausted and says he has suffered heavy losses, including four family members, a cousin, and many friends.

The teams on this flight are from Spain, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador and Panama.

One experienced paramedic tells us he believes survivors can still be found.

Steven Salazar Vasquez is part of a small team of specialists including doctors. He tells us that after 72 hours the chance of finding people alive under the rubble falls rapidly, but he "still has hope" because there are many tall structures that have only partially collapsed.

He says there may be some buildings where collapsed walls have created a viable space, which rescue workers call "the triangle of life".

Nicole Kolster
Contributor to BBC Mundo, in La Guaira

Carlos Eduardo, 31, is trapped under the rubble. His family have been calling out to him for two days.

"About an hour and a half ago, more or less, we heard from him. Well, he didn’t really speak, he groaned," his cousin tells me anxiously. He hasn't responded since.

Spanish rescuers and sniffer dogs arrived at the building, but withdrew after they found no sign of life.

But Carlos’s family have remained there, continuing to remove debris to find him.

They are clinging onto hope he can still be rescued alive.

Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors trapped in rubble.

Among them was a newborn baby, who was reunited with family in an emotional rescue, sparking cheers from relief workers.

Watch the moment below.

Nicole Kolster
Contributor to BBC Mundo, in La Guaira

Rescue efforts are under way in La Guaira, but residents are pleading for more help from the state.

Many buildings are dangerously unstable. Yet out of desperation some families are returning to partially collapsed structures to retrieve essential belongings.

Drones are being used to survey the damage and to try to find victims and survivors.

Occasionally people run into the streets in a panic fearing further aftershocks.

The mood here is dizzying, surreal. It feels like when you come off a boat onto dry land.