As rescue teams raced against time to free survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings across northern Venezuela, desperate parents hunted for their missing children while neighbours clawed through debris with their bare hands. Thousands of families stood in agonising wait for any word on loved ones still trapped beneath the wreckage.

The nightmare unfolded on Wednesday evening when twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck within a minute of each other. The quakes have killed at least 235 people, according to Health Minister Carlos Alvardo, with hundreds more feared trapped under debris and thousands injured, displaced, or missing, Reuters reported. The second and stronger tremor was the most powerful to hit Venezuela since 1990, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

‘Never experienced anything like that’: Survivors recount horror 

For many Venezuelans, the disaster started during ordinary moments.

One 25-year-old eyewitness said in a Reuters video that they were inside a shopping mall, eating ice cream before heading to buy vegetables for their pets, when people suddenly froze. As the witness was wearing headphones, he couldn’t realise an earthquake had struck. Some shoppers appeared to have received earthquake alerts moments before the shaking started.

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“It was terrifying, I had never experienced anything like that before, especially not inside a shopping mall,” the eyewitness said in a video he recorded after escaping the building.

Another eyewitness in Caracas mentioned that the earthquake shook their apartment building so forcefully that drinking glasses crashed onto the floor. Neighbours rushed into the streets as they waited to know about the scale of the disaster.

Inside Venezuela’s main airport in La Guaira, another eyewitness recorded what appeared to be damaged ceiling panels inside the terminal. He described the situation as “very serious” and claimed to have helped people evacuate. The airport was damaged and temporarily closed, complicating rescue and relief efforts.

‘I want to know where my child is’: Parents hold on to hope amid search operations

As per Reuters, Yamileth Jimenez stands outside the remains of her seven-storey apartment building, waiting for rescuers to reach her 19-year-old son.

“He is under the slabs, and there is no machinery to get him out of it,” he said.

The Associated Press reported that Dayana Delgado, the mother of three children, also searched for her missing eight-year-old son. She also raised the same question why heavy rescue equipment has not yet arrived.

 “I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” she mentioned.

Across affected neighbourhoods, families shared photographs of missing relatives and handwritten lists of names, while Venezuelans living abroad found it difficult to contact loved ones because of communication disruptions, as reported by AP.

When neighbours became first responders

As search operations gathered speed, many residents said that the neighbours reached trapped victims before heavy machinery arrived.

A Reuters report mentioned that volunteers dug through collapsed buildings with their bare hands. Civilians carried water, food and medicines towards devasted communities along the Caracas-La Guaira highway.

Among those waiting for help was Pedro Perez, a 64-year-old workshop owner who said he had lost both his home and business.

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“We lost everything. We have no food or medicines… We hope help arrives soon,” Perez stated to Reuters as he spent the night on the street along with his wife and children.

The Associated Press reported that retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendano climbed through wreckage in La Guaira and found a dead body before spotting a trapped woman signaling for assistance beneath the debris.

“May God rescue her as quickly as possible,” he said. “When we heard her scream, there was nothing we could do.”

Stories of bravery amid the destruction

Even as rescue workers searched for survivors, acts of courage continued to come out.

Reuters reported that Denis Sequera, 47, watched her five year old granddaughter calmly helping her 79-year old grandfather to walk safely as the building shook.

“Grandpa, get out, put your hands over your head,” the child continuously told him while leading him to the yard.

Sequera also helped her elderly mother escape before the family spent the night outdoors, scared to return home because of aftershocks.

AP also reported dramatic rescue scenes from the collapsed buildings, including a woman who was pulled out alive after being trapped beneath a concrete slab. Elsewhere, however, many families were left grieving as rescue workers recovered victims from the rubble.

Hundreds of residents in Caracas also spent the night outside in the parks, parking lots, and other open spaces, fearing fresh tremors.

“We were afraid the building would fall on us,” Maria Cristina Daiz, a 41-year-old janitor, mentioned to AP. “My mother, my daughter, and I were cold. We didn’t sleep a wink.”

Rescue efforts continue as global aid pours in

The earthquakes struck a country already struggling with years of economic crisis, making rescue operations even more challenging.

As per Reuters, around 70,000 families in La Guaira state have been affected, whereas at least 250 buildings were impacted or destroyed. Several hospitals, the headquarters of the Venezuelan Red Cross, and the French embassy were also among the structures that have been reported to have suffered major damage.

International support has started arriving from countries Mexico, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic while the United States said it would deploy search and rescue teams and will temporarily ease sanctions to facilitate earthquake relief.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez termed La Guaira a “disaster zone” and urged for heavy construction equipment to speed up rescue operations.

“We hope to rescue as many life as possible,” she, mentioned.

The United States has also begun coordinating international rescue operations. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that a “massive collective effort” will be required as search operations continue.