Nearly 1,000 people are confirmed dead in Venezuela and many still missing

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0:42Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service in London. I'm Rebecca Kesby and we start the programme with the very latest from Venezuela struggling with the effects of Wednesday's powerful double earthquakes striking within just a minute of each other. The Venezuelan government is now saying that well over 900 people have been killed, with thousands more injured. But the United Nations is putting the number of people still unaccounted for at 50 ,000. So there is an anticipation that those casualty figures will rise, possibly quite substantially. Well, rescue teams from around the world have been arriving in significant numbers today with specialist equipment.

1:24but it is a race against time to reach survivors still trapped in the rubble. Meanwhile, thousands of people have been made homeless by the quakes and health services are overwhelmed. Local people have been trying to help dig people out of the rubble themselves. There were cheers as this woman, Graciela Mora, was rescued in La Guardia. She was pulled out as she described what happened to her and how she tried to comfort her friend who was badly injured. she actually held her hand as she died beside her.

2:03When the earthquake started, I clung as tightly as I could to the doorframe, so tightly that I broke my finger. I held on tight, really tight, to the doorframe, until all the floors collapsed.

2:20and I saw her hand like that and grabbed it so that she could go and it still hasn't given me a chance to cry. Eric Paul Martinez Santos was also rescued. He had to help dig himself out of the rubble.

2:41I was in the building for four hours before I was rescued by someone. I think they were from the civil defence, but I'm not sure. They didn't have many tools. They couldn't find the chisel, the drill, the grinder, so they went at it with their nails. I also could help because they handed me a tool. I was only saved because I had a lot of furniture in my home that protected me from the wall.

3:08Well, Dr Franklin Rodriguez spoke to us while he was travelling from Caracas to La Guerra. He works at a hospital there and has been hearing from his fellow doctors about the desperate situation they're trying to work in. The current hospital crisis, complete collapse. The two main hospitals in Vargas State are completely overwhelmed and collapsed. There is a critical lock of medicine and medical supplies. medical facilities do not have the capacity to handle the massive volume of people, and many people are still trapped under the trouble. Well, for its part, the United States says it's deploying two warships, transport planes and helicopters, as well as mobilising$150 million in aid for what President Trump called our new and great friends.

4:06The BBC's Vanessa Silva is in La Guayra state, which is the worst affected by the quakes on Venezuela's Caribbean coast. She spoke to us from there earlier and described the situation around her. Well, yes, we are here in La Guayra state where the destruction is really staggering and also the testimonies are harrowing. Here we can see how the level of the devastation of these massive earthquakes that hit the country on Wednesday. And it's today, 48 hours after that, we can see that the health really started to arrive here. We can see heavy machinery arriving along the day. At my side, I have like a big truck with a hydraulic arm, removing big blocks of concrete of one of the buildings.

5:02In this building, I spoke with a mother that between in tears, she mentioned that a group of family were there, including her only child, a child of only a year and a half old. And another building beside, because this is a coastline and it's just one building beside another building, completely collapsed or about to collapse. and another one was a mother looking for their two doubters that working there as a manicurist and a father looking for a son. So there's a lot of people desperate, but also with sleep deprivation, hoping, keeping the hope, praying to go to find their loved ones here. In this state, we can also see there's a lot of military presence.

5:52and also police and people that came from other states to help. Yeah, it sounds really harrowing, Vanessa. Obviously, desperate attempts to try to reach people. But, I mean, we're hearing that the number of missing could be very large indeed. Can you tell us about that? The number is increasing as the hours are passing by among the ones that are found in death. or the numbers of disappearing. It's more than 4 ,000 people homeless, more than 3 ,000 people injured, and the exact number of people disappeared. We don't know this moment. Goodness me. I mean, the line's very difficult for obvious reasons, but we heard from the interim president today, Delcy Rodriguez.

6:44She was talking of militarising the state. What do you think she meant by that? Well, what she meant is that attempts of looting were happening in the after hours of the earthquake. So today, when we were arriving to the state and we can see a lot of military with long arms and army tanks also going around the state, maybe to protect the rescue labors and the desperation of those that lost everything. here. We see also people queuing for food. We see the supplies that was gathering in Venezuela, water supplies, food supplies arriving in small trucks along this state. That's the BBC's Vanessa Silva in La Guerra State, the worst affected area in Venezuela.

7:42Well, as she was saying there, managing a disaster, even of one earthquake, never mind two, would be a major challenge for any government. But Venezuela is in an odd position because in January this year, the United States seized its president, Nicolás Maduro, and appointed his deputy in his place. Added to that, many don't even consider that government to be legitimate because it lost the last election. The government has promised that aid will reach affected areas, but already criticism of their response is growing. Arjenes has been looking for survivors in Caracas. Isn't it possible to call the military to say, come here, help us with this?

8:24The military officers that are right here, get on a tank and come help the people. That's what we want. Well, Marianne Jimenez is an assistant professor of politics at Maynooth University in Ireland. She's actually Venezuelan herself and happens to be in Caracas at the moment. I asked her what she made of the Venezuelan government's response to the emergency. It's a very good question. It's related to the more historical, let's say, capacity of the state or incapacity now of the state to respond to the needs of the population, right? So let's just bear in mind that Venezuela's population is going through for years now through a humanitarian crisis.

9:10Public services have become very fragile and collapse around the country. It's a de facto, in a way, privatized society where if people don't have money, they also don't have access to quality public services. It wasn't always like this. So I think that's important to bear in mind. And so when this sort of crisis and catastrophe comes around, this is the limitations that the state is going in and the government is going into this crisis. So the natural disaster, in a way, is amplified by the government's very limited response. Is there a sense of confusion almost in terms of who actually is running the country?

9:51Because obviously we saw that the previous president, Nicolás Maduro, was seized by US forces back in January. Trump at the time, President Trump said earlier this year that the US would be effectively running Venezuela. Is there any evidence that the United States is sending people there to try and help? Or is there a sense of confusion about who has the authority in this instance? I think actually Venezuelans know very well that there isn't much of an authority on the ground, right? There is a lot of disrespect for the state and for the government. In fact, it is a very unpopular government.

10:29We know that the government lost the election in 2024, and that reality hasn't really changed. So I think there isn't much of an expectation really from the government, even though there is need of the government responding to the needs of the Venezuelan people. So actually, in fact, you can see that in the individual response from other societal forces who are very quickly responding, uniting and collecting, you know, aid relief to provide that kind of help that is being slowed down because of all these other, you know, constraints that we were talking about. Some help is already on the way from different countries, including the US, but also other Latin American countries.

11:14And I think it's important that that aid comes in. But it's also important to understand that the government isn't popular, right? And even if they try to sort of manage this crisis a little better, even if they could, I think that kind of rejection that's already reached, you know, a peak across sectors wouldn't change much, I'm afraid. And you mentioned the sort of legitimacy or lack thereof of the current government in Venezuela. I mean, it's effectively a puppet government, I guess, after the intervention of the United States earlier this year. Does this crisis expose the fragility really of the state and the mistrust of the authorities that ordinary people have?

12:01The crisis really puts the multiple crisis, if you will, that are going on here in Venezuela, right? Much of the conversation on Venezuela has long been on whether Maduro is removed from power or not. And I think what the earthquakes really put on the table is the inequality, is the poverty, is the fragility of the state. It's all the needs the Venezuelans really have to get by. The economy, the inflation, you know, the kind of unequal response across communities. that they're getting from the state, right? So, you know, while some people have running waters, others don't have any. While some people have a mobile phone to try and find their loved ones or try to, you know, figure out how to communicate, others don't have that at all or don't have reception.

12:46So, yes, in a way, the earthquakes just put on the table again the really fragile situation, not just of the government, but that everyone really is in. Marianne Jimenez there, Assistant Professor of Politics at Maynooth University in Kildare, Ireland. She was speaking to us from Caracas, where she's visiting at the moment. There's more details on this story, some amazing rescue attempts and efforts, people being dug out of the rubble there on the BBC website. Lots more details. There are teams coming from all sorts of countries, the Netherlands, the US, Switzerland, Colombia, sending specialised teams to try to help out and time really is of the essence because we're being told that around 50 ,000 people are still unaccounted for.

13:38Coming up later in the programme, the conductor of a leading symphony orchestra in the United States talks to us about the new trend of playing film scores live alongside the movie. So what's it like? I find them fascinating, a real interesting intellectual and physical challenge. And I've really loved getting to do them because in addition to being a great conductor challenge, they're just some of the best music ever composed full stop. More on that to come. A treat for music fans. Our headlines this hour, as we've been hearing the Venezuelan authorities say, more than 900 people are known to have died in Wednesday's two huge earthquakes.

14:20The United Nations are saying that more than 50 ,000 people remain unaccounted for. And Israel and Lebanon have signed a framework agreement that has been brokered by the United States. We'll be getting the details on that later in the programme.

14:38This is Rebecca Kesby with NewsHour, live from the BBC. Now, football fans heading to the crucial World Cup match between Egypt and Iran in Seattle later today. have been told that they can fly gay pride flags, despite the fact that the football federations of both teams have objected to the presence of rainbow flags at the match. Homosexuality and any symbols of pride are criminalised in both countries. But local organisers in Seattle have told fans the match is part of the city's general pride celebrations. FIFA is distancing itself from the row, though, saying it's just another World Cup match.

15:18Well, even as the Pride celebrations take place around the match, our North America correspondent Shaima Khalil reports from Seattle.

15:31There is plenty of excitement here at one of Seattle's fan zones. Supporters in different shirts gather in front of a giant screen cheering as yet another team edges closer to the knockout stages at the World Cup. And that is exactly what Egypt and Iran are hoping to do. both teams face each other in a crucial match. It also marks the start of Seattle's Pride Weekend, a celebration of LGBTQ plus communities that both countries' football federations have objected to on cultural and religious grounds. Homosexuality is illegal in both countries and can result in harsh punishments. FIFA says rainbow flags will still be allowed inside the stadium, but insists this is not a FIFA Pride match, simply another World Cup game taking place in a city marking Pride weekend.

16:17Egyptian-American fan Makarius Damien says for him the focus is still on football. I don't see it being you know the main the main part of the game right now it's about two teams trying to get to the next round so Pride match or no Pride match that's not that's not what matters. Welcome to Seattle. This is how we pride all humans. Seattle organizers insist the timing was not designed to provoke. Pride weekend had been planned long before the World Cup draw paired Egypt and Iran in the city, and they say the answer to discomfort is curiosity rather than retreat. We're excited to have you in Seattle.

16:53You are welcome in Seattle. While you're here, learn about who we are. Learn about our culture. Hedda McClendon is a senior official on Seattle's World Cup 26 local organizing committee. Be curious about our culture. Ask questions. It might not be how you want to live or how things are in your country, but this is something that It makes us unique, and we want you to experience it and be curious. On the pitch, there's plenty at stake. The Egyptian squad comes into this match with momentum after beating New Zealand and with a real chance of taking control of Group G. At the pre-match press conference, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan would not engage with questions about the pride-related celebrations, insisting his focus was on football.

17:39Iran, meanwhile, arrive in a very different mood. Their tournament already shaped by politics, travel restrictions and complaints about preparation time, even if they have now been allowed to get to Seattle earlier than before. Their head coach, Amir Kalinoy, also refused to engage with questions about the pride-related celebrations.

17:59We are here to play football, not for other things. We think about football. Our concentration is on the match and on being successful. As for things that are forbidden in our religion and do not exist, we do not want to talk about them. We only talk about the match, football and the beauty of the game. As Egypt and Iran try to edge closer to the knockout stages, this match here in Seattle is a glimpse into what happens when a World Cup lands in a city celebrating one set of values, while two of the teams taking part arrive carrying very different ones of their own. That's the BBC's Shaima Khalil there reporting from Seattle and that match gets underway later.

18:45Now a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer has been convicted of high treason for spying for Russia. Colonel Dmitry Kozyura had been the chief of staff for the security service of Ukraine's Anti-Terrorism Centre or SBU. Now he's been sentenced to life in prison. The operation to catch him was codenamed Operation Rat and it involved his own colleagues effectively spying on him without him realising, bearing in mind of course he was an expert in espionage. Well Dr. Hannah Shalest is a director of security studies at the Foreign Policy Council in Ukraine and she gave us more on the background to this story.

19:28He'd been arrested in February 2025 and it was quite a wide publicised case because the head of the security services of Ukraine, General Maluk, arrested him personally. So it was also the case of the personal dignity for the service to arrest such a high level traitor. He'd been connected by the Russians back in 2018. So prior to the full-fledged war and for some time he was more of the sleeping agent, as we know now from the court case. And starting from 2024, he's been actively connected again with Russians through one of the former MP assistants from the Party of Regions. If you remember, that was the party of the former president Yanukovych, who is now living in Russia.

20:19And for about a year, it was the communication among them. And luckily, he was identified much earlier and de facto been, as we call it here, fed with the disinformation to be delivered to his curators. Oh, right. OK, so the Ukrainian authorities were kind of using him towards the end then. I mean, we'll get on to how he was captured in a moment. First, though, I mean, did it come out in the court case what his motivation was? at least officially what we hear it is the money but at the same time we can assume that because through whom he've been contacted through the party of region people that also can be some of the political motivation that maybe he has not recognized the revolution of dignity back in 2014 So it could be this mix of motivations behind him.

21:11Right. But he was very senior. They had to capture him, you know, behind his back, literally. The operation to get him must have been quite difficult, I should imagine. Surely, because de facto anti-terrorist department, and you need to understand that for quite a long time since 2014, a lot of the actions against Russia being labelled as terrorism. So the anti-terrorist department was involved not only with the classical terrorism, but also with the Russian-Ukrainian war. So this guy had quite a serious access to the information connected with the Russian activities in Ukraine and also had quite a serious counterintelligence support within his activities.

21:57And Ukraine has had a few spy issues throughout this war, I think. Yes, unfortunately. But that's normal, if you can say it like this during the war, that the enemy is trying to penetrate your system. And don't forget that for decades, Russia has been doing it. It's not something fresh from 2022. The biggest amount of the agents being arrested after 2014 and then definitely many of the new one being activated in 2022 and a lot of the counterintelligence took place because many of these people had all contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services. Some from the older generation served together in the Soviet armed forces.

22:44So there were connections through which it would be possible to recruit people who could be dissatisfied with plenty of reasons. It can be personal dissatisfaction, career dissatisfaction, ideological dissatisfaction or just money or blackmailing. So in this case, it's time of the war when all of us are facing these issues. And that was Dr. Hannah Shailes, the Director of Security Studies at the Foreign Policy Council in Ukraine, giving us the background on that story today, breaking from Ukraine, that a senior intelligence officer has been convicted of high treason for spying for Russia.

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24:42Decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day. But what policy changes should investors be watching? Washington Wise is an original podcast from Charles Schwab that unpacks the stories making news in Washington right now and how they may affect your finances and portfolio. Listen at schwab.com slash Washington Wise. That's schwab.com slash Washington Wise

25:12Welcome back to NewsHour Anyone watching events at the Men's FIFA World Cup will have heard of the amazing story of Cape Verde the little island nation that has burst onto the scene in this tournament holding football giant Spain to a nil-all draw and Uruguay to a two-all draw In the next few hours they go up against Saudi Arabia but with a population of fewer than a million people, it's the ultimate underdog. But could it be about to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup? The BBC's Paul Ngea has been looking at Cape Ved's football development programme. At a training facility in the capital prior, young aspiring players are honing their football skills.

25:57They are passing the ball to one another, controlling, shooting and running around separate parts of a refurbished artificial pitch. Several years ago, football was mostly played on the bare ground. But thanks to the technical support and funding from FIFA, some sports facilities here were modernised. One control, one attempt, so now do two attempts, let's go. Bola Prafrente Academy founder and head coach, Silveria Nedio, says such projects are laudable.

26:32This training centre is living proof that it was built with the future in mind. I started working here in 2010, two years or so after the place was opened. I founded the academy and today kids that were here back then at the age of eight and nine are now part of the Blue Sharks team. I never stopped offering training here. I've been doing this for 15 years and haven't trained players in any other facility.