Military personnel, firefighters and volunteers joined the search in the coastal city, where emergency crews recovered the bodies of siblings Leyder Rojas, aged three, and Leymar Rojas, aged 10, while another child from the same family was pulled out alive.

Officials said inspections at the country’s main international airport were slowing relief efforts, adding to the strain on emergency operations. Hundreds of people were still feared trapped beneath destroyed buildings, while relatives gathered at rescue sites as ambulances transported survivors to hospital.

In Caracas, hundreds of displaced residents waited with their families in temporary shelters after their homes were damaged or declared unsafe. Engineers were inspecting buildings before allowing people to return, as officials tried to determine which structures remained fit for occupancy. “We’re waiting for Infrastructure to come, someone from Disaster Services, so they can confirm whether they’re safe to live in or not,” said displaced resident Pedro Bautista.

With emergency measures in place across the affected regions, authorities said restoring essential services and locating survivors remained the immediate priorities as Venezuela confronted one of the deadliest natural disasters in its recent history. Rescue teams continued to work under difficult conditions as the full extent of the destruction was still being assessed.