The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has climbed to more than 2,300 as rescue workers race against time to find survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for in one of the country's deadliest natural disasters in more than a century. 

The powerful 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck Venezuela's Caribbean coast on June 24, devastating the coastal state of La Guaira and parts of the capital, Caracas. More than 11,000 people have been injured, while over 40,000 people are still missing or unaccounted for, according to official and volunteer registries. 

Search and rescue operations have continued for a seventh day despite fading hopes of finding survivors. Rescue teams from more than two dozen countries are using heavy machinery, sniffer dogs and thermal imaging equipment to search through mountains of rubble.

A handful of survivors have still been pulled alive from collapsed buildings in recent days, including a toddler rescued by a Jordanian team nearly six days after the disaster. 

As official rescue efforts struggle with damaged infrastructure and shortages of equipment, volunteers have emerged as the backbone of relief operations in some of the hardest-hit communities.

According to Al Jazeera, young volunteers—many of them earthquake survivors themselves—have transformed schools and public buildings into emergency shelters, organizing food distribution, medical assistance and digital registries for displaced families.

In one shelter in La Guaira, volunteers are caring for more than 350 displaced people while coordinating relief largely on their own. 

NPR reported that rescue crews continue to search collapsed apartment blocks and residential complexes as families wait anxiously for news of missing relatives.

Authorities have warned that the death toll is expected to rise further as more bodies are recovered from the debris. 

ABC News reported that about 50,000 people remain unaccounted for, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis. Thousands have been displaced, hospitals are overwhelmed, and many survivors are living in temporary shelters with limited access to clean water and basic services. 

The disaster has also intensified criticism of the government's response. Residents and aid workers have complained of delays in deploying heavy equipment and insufficient coordination during the crucial first days after the earthquakes, forcing civilians and international rescue teams to shoulder much of the search effort.