Rescuers race against time in Venezuela as UN fears catastrophic death toll

International rescue teams are racing against a closing survival window in Venezuela following the catastrophic June 24 twin earthquakes, as newly released satellite data paints a staggering picture of the structural ruin.

According to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by NASA, more than 58,000 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed by the historic 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude "seismic doublet," the most powerful tremors to strike the South American nation in over a century.

While the official death toll provided by interim President Delcy Rodriguez's administration has risen to 1,700, international authorities warn that the actual loss of life is catastrophically higher.

Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, the UN resident coordinator for Venezuela, confirmed Monday that the global body is working closely with local authorities to manage the swelling number of fatalities.

"We are undoubtedly facing a higher figure than reported," Rampolla del Tindaro said. "I can offer you an estimate: we are acquiring, and this has been agreed upon with the local authorities, 10,000 body bags."

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the number of victims will inevitably rise, as the UN currently estimates that approximately 50,000 people remain missing. The disaster has also left an estimated 16,000 people homeless, crowding makeshift encampments across the country.

A harrowing tragedy has emerged from La Guaira, the hardest-hit coastal state. According to survivor accounts, more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who had been deported from the United States just hours before the disaster are among the missing after their holding facility collapsed.

Data from ICE Flight Monitor showed that a deportation flight from Miami arrived at Maiquetia Airport in La Guaira shortly before Wednesday's earthquakes. The flight carried 146 Venezuelan deportees, including 19 women and seven children. Upon arrival, immigration authorities transferred the passengers to a local hotel, which subsequently collapsed during the 7.5 magnitude tremor.

The UN typically suspends urban search-and-rescue (USAR) operations five to seven days after a seismic event, usually issuing the order after 24 to 48 hours pass without locating survivors.

Despite entering this critical window, specialized international teams continue to pull survivors from the debris. In a dramatic rescue Monday, teams extricated a young child alive from the ruins of a collapsed building in Caracas, injecting a brief wave of hope into a grim recovery operation.