Cat rescued from rubble after earthquake in Venezuela

Caraballeda – 19.07.2026: Rescue workers have saved a weakened cat from the rubble of a residential building destroyed in the double earthquake in the Venezuelan coastal city of Caraballeda. The animal was found in the OPP 26 building, where, according to journalists and aid workers, numerous people died. Emergency crews are still searching for victims there and gradually clearing the ruins.

Student Andres Carvajal from the Central University of Venezuela was on site with a group searching for missing relatives on the ground floor of the collapsed house. A companion noticed the animal, but it became frightened and ran deeper into the destroyed building. Carvajal obtained cat food, took off his glove and was able to lure the cat out of its hiding place.

After the rescue, the black-colored animal was handed over to aid workers. Veterinarians treated it at a makeshift station in front of the destroyed houses, cleaned its dust-covered fur and treated the effects of dehydration. The cat was then due to be taken to an animal shelter. It remains unclear whether it had been trapped since the earthquake on June 24 or entered the ruins later.

The rescue took place more than three weeks after the two powerful tremors that struck northern Venezuela 39 seconds apart on June 24. According to official figures, the earthquakes reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. The state of La Guaira, including the towns of Caraballeda, Catia La Mar and Urimare, has been particularly badly affected.

According to the latest figures published by Venezuela’s National Assembly, at least 5,069 people died in the disaster, while another 16,740 were injured. Nearly 17,900 people are without permanent accommodation. Authorities also said that more than 128,000 affected families had been registered. The death toll may continue to change as recovery work in destroyed buildings continues.

According to the EFE news agency, the focus of operations had already shifted in early July from searching for survivors to recovering bodies and clearing large volumes of rubble. In the most severely damaged areas of La Guaira, an initial assessment by the UN Development Programme expected more than one million tonnes of debris.

The cat’s rescue does not change the scale of the humanitarian situation, but it symbolizes the continuing work of professional and volunteer emergency teams in Caraballeda. Carvajal and other students founded the Pico y Pala initiative after the earthquake. They initially searched for a missing fellow student in Caracas; they are now also supporting operations in the state of La Guaira.