NPR News: 06-26-2026 5AM EDT

Dave Mattingly· Host0:01

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. At least two hundred thirty-five people are now confirmed dead in Venezuela following a pair of powerful earthquakes. The number of injured tops four thousand, and thousands more are missing. Search and rescue teams continue going through the rubble of collapsed buildings, looking for potential survivors. Rescue teams and search dogs have begun arriving from other countries, including ones from Chile, El Salvador, and Switzerland. The State Department says the U.S. is sending search teams and other aid to Venezuela, where a state of emergency is in effect. NPR's Michelle Kellerman has more.

Michelle Kellerman0:40

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he set up a task force at the State Department and has sent search and rescue teams from California and Virginia to help find survivors of the earthquakes in Venezuela.

Marco Rubio· Soundbite0:51

That's their most immediate need right now is search and rescue efforts. They have a much of collapsed buildings, and so they'll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that. Uh, the airport there is badly damaged, so we'll have to rely on the Department of War to deploy assets there.

Michelle Kellerman1:04

Rubio, who dismantled the lead U.S. aid agency last year, announced fifty million dollars for private aid groups on the ground in Venezuela and another one hundred million dollars to be distributed through a UN fund. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington.

Dave Mattingly· Host1:21

The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquakes, one a magnitude seven point two, the other registering seven point five, struck on Wednesday