Frustration and fading hopes in Venezuela with thousands still missing after twin quakes

VenezuelaFrustration and fading hopes in Venezuela with thousands still missing after twin quakesThe death toll has risen to 1,450 people amid growing criticism of the government’s response, though the rescue of a father-and-son four days after the disaster offered some hope.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleTens of thousands still reported missing after Venezuela earthquakes00:25Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 29, 2026, 5:35 AM EDT / Updated June 29, 2026, 5:39 AM EDTBy Elmira AliievaHopes were fading Monday that survivors might still be found from the powerful twin earthquakes that rocked Venezuela, even as more international teams arrived to boost desperate search efforts.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.A critical 72-hour window for rescuing people trapped beneath collapsed buildings has now passed, after a weekend that saw glimmers of hope for local residents and foreign responders scouring the rubble — including a father and his son pulled out alive after four days.The death toll has risen to 1,450 people, but tens of thousands remain unaccounted for amid growing criticism of the government’s response and limited access to heavy equipment in the hardest-hit state La Guaira. Rescue workers carry a man rescued from the rubble Sunday of a building that collapsed in the earthquakes that struck La Guaira.Matias Delacroix / APSome 3,150 were also injured and 12,721 people displaced, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Sunday, adding that time was running out to rescue those still trapped beneath mountains of debris.“We are in critical hours, in crucial hours to continue rescuing lives and to build camps where those people who have lost their homes, or who cannot return, for whatever reason, to their residences can stay,” Rodriguez said in a televised address.The first 48 to 72 hours after a natural disaster are c...