A woman was pulled alive from rubble after two powerful earthquakes shook Venezuela. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and were felt throughout the region. Footage shows the moment Graciela Mora was pulled from under the debris of a collapsed building in the city of La Guaira, which has been declared a disaster zone.The woman is shown, covered in dust, being carried out of the rubble on a stretcher as rescue workers and volunteers cheer.In a recorded interview after being rescued, Ms Mora explained how she was holding on to a door frame when 'all the floors collapsed.' She also detailed how her friend died holding her hand. 'I saw her hand like that and grabbed it. So that she could go.'Ms Mora sustained several injuries, including a broken finger. A woman was pulled alive from rubble after two powerful earthquakes shook VenezuelaFootage shows the moment Graciela Mora was pulled from under the debris of a collapsed building in the city of La GuairaThe official death toll rose to 589 on Friday, with more than 4,300 reported to be injured. The number of casualties is expected to climb, as 50,000 remain missing and frantic rescue efforts continuing. Other injured people have been pulled out, also covered in dust and blood - among them children.A separate video showed the chilling cries of a one-month-old baby who was found alive in the rubble of a collapsed building. Venezuelan state TV showed dramatic images of rescues, including a woman who was trapped under a cement slab with only a bare foot poking out before rescuers slid her out alive. But few government search teams were initially seen outside Caracas.The coastal region of La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. The country's main airport is there and was closed due to damage, complicating aid efforts. Mora sustained several injuries, including a broken finger The official death toll rose to around 235 late on Thursday, with at least 4,300 people injured A Dutch rescue team departs from Eindhoven Air Base for Venezuela to provide aid following the earthquakes that struck the country in Eindhoven, Netherlands, 26 June 2026 Emergency personnel rescue a person from the rubble of a collapsed residential building following an earthquake in Caraballeda, La Guaira, Venezuela, June 25 A volunteer carries a rescued dog across the rubble of a collapsed building following twin earthquakes in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, some 40 km northeast of CaracasMany were stunned on Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging out of windows and helicopters circling overhead. Buildings were flattened, and streets cracked open.Families posted missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched. Venezuelans abroad struggled to make contact with relatives due to interrupted phone service in the country.In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lots and other open spaces.Venezuelan authorities said they were diverting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira.Media reports have shared notable moments of hope among the destruction, including a young man brought out on a stretcher in the San Bernardino district of Caracas to the applause of onlookers as his tearful mother said, 'Leandro, I love you.'Venezuelan public television broadcast video of a girl covered in dust and wrapping herself in a dark sweatshirt as she emerged from rubble with the help of rescuers.Caracas metropolitan rescue team head Jose Luis Nunez said she was found in a ten-story building in La Guaira that collapsed and flattened 'like a pancake.'The natural disaster is the latest challenge for acting President Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the capture and removal from power of then-President Nicolas Maduro by the United States. Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodríguez represents.Rodriguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. Volunteers search for possible victims in a collapsed building following twin earthquakes in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, some 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 25 A view shows a heavily damaged apartment building following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state People search for survivors while others try to salvage belongings in a collapsed building following an earthquake in Catia La Mar People react in the aftermath of earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela A person walks with some personal belongings amid debris of demolished buildingsShe said the government was creating a $200million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes.She appealed to businesses on Thursday to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations.'We hope to rescue as many living people as possible,' Rodríguez said.While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.The US Geological Survey said both earthquakes were centred near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 105 miles west of Caracas.The one-two punch of the quakes, combined with the shallow seismic movements, amplified the destruction, said Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil.Shortly after United Nations officials in Venezuela called on the government to lift social media restrictions so people can get potentially life-saving information, Venezuelans in the country were able to access X. The site had been blocked by Maduro since August 2024 in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential election.