Venezuelan medics fear infections from quake injuries as search for untold dead continues

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A week after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes, doctors on Wednesday said the biggest dangers now facing survivors are untreated injuries and infectious diseases.

Thousands of displaced Venezuelans are sleeping in crowded shelters or outside without access to clean water amid dismal sanitary conditions following the June 24 earthquakes which officials say killed at least 2,295 and left more than 11,000 injured.

Aid workers said the aftermath of the quakes has become a major medical crisis that, unless quickly controlled, would take more lives in the days and weeks ahead. The emergency has laid bare Venezuela's chronic shortage of doctors, the result of years of economic crisis, underfunding and emigration.

“The issue we foresee just around the corner is the infections that patients who have been exposed to the disaster for the longest time might bring,” said Eugenio Cova, the head of the trauma unit at Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in Caracas, the capital. “We’ve already gone through the period of complex trauma — which will continue to occur — but now it’s complicated by infections."

Aid workers also warn that the extensive damage to infrastructure is turning hard-hit communities into petri dishes for disease.

“It’s very hot and there’s a lot of concern about potential vector-borne diseases,” said Veronique Durroux, the U.N. humanitarian agency spokesperson for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Waste management is an issue. Debris management, when you see the scale of devastation, it’s very concerning.”

The United States had 900 military personnel currently on the ground to support relief and rescue operations as of Wednesday, Steven McLoud, a U.S. Southern Command spokesperson, told The Associated Press.

The military has repaired an earthquake-damaged runway at the main international airport that serves Caracas to allow for the arrival of humanitarian assistance and stationed naval assets off the coast to receive airlifted survivors. An additional 100 people from the U.S. State Department have been sent to aid those efforts, McLoud said.

So far, the Trump administration has offered Venezuela $300 million in assistance channeled through aid groups and the United Nations. But that remains just a fraction of the post-earthquake aid the country needs: Material damage from the quakes is estimated at over $6.7 billion, according to satellite analysis by the U.N. Development Program.

Fifty other international teams have arrived in recent days to help with search-and-rescue operations, including from countries like Ecuador and Israel that don't have diplomatic relations with Venezuela. Against the odds — the time period for survival when trapped under rubble is typically 48 to 72 hours — rescuers are continuing to find a small number of survivors, including on Tuesday, a toddler who had been trapped for six days.

Long before the earthquakes, Venezuela's public hospitals were strained by shortages of water, energy, critical medical equipment and highly trained staff.

Among the 8 million people who fled the country's economic crisis in recent years are many specialized doctors and nurses.

“Doctors between the ages of 35 and 55 have left and taken with them a ton of experience,” said Jaime Lorenzo, director of United Doctors of Venezuela, a nonprofit network of medical professionals.

Those who remain now confront the overwhelming prospect of treating thousands of grievous injuries from crushed and caved-in concrete structures. The government on Wednesday raised the number of people injured in the quakes to 11,267.

Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in Caracas lacks screws and plates needed for orthopedic surgery and medicated gauze to prevent infections, said Cova, who conducts surgery on crushed limbs in makeshift operating rooms because possible earthquake damage has made parts of the building inaccessible. According to the government, the earthquakes damaged or otherwise compromised 38 hospitals nationwide.

There's also a nationwide shortage of ambulances that forces most injured Venezuelans to arrive to hospitals in the backs of pickup trucks, said Lorenzo. That's just one of the ways that ordinary citizens, feeling abandoned by the government, say they've been forced to shoulder much of the rescue effort.

When the chaos and trauma of this first week after the quake starts to subside, Lorenzo said he fears a new wave of patients will hit hospitals: Venezuelans, who, rendered suddenly homeless after the earthquakes, have gone all week without medication for chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez — who served as deputy to President Nicolás Maduro until he was ousted by the United States in January and who became interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration — has faced growing criticism over its handling of the disaster.

Videos circulating on social media in recent days appear to show security officers picking through the rubble of fallen buildings and making off with U.S. dollars, appliances and other personal belongings and sparking widespread anger among Venezuelans. The videos could not be verified by the AP.

In response to the videos, the the Interior Ministry on Wednesday said it dismissed and detained four police officials for “deviating from their duties and taking advantage of the rescue and humanitarian aid efforts."

Rodríguez announced seven days of national mourning on Wednesday to honor victims.

Many thousands remain missing, adding ambiguity to the temblors' complete toll and leaving families in an agonizing limbo as they wait days by collapsed buildings, hoping for the bodies of their loved ones to surface.

One non-governmental digital database where families can register missing loved ones showed over 40,600 people still unaccounted for as of Wednesday.

This story has been corrected to show the U.S. Southern Command spokesperson's name is Steven McLoud, not Steven McCloud, and the hospital name is Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, not Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregor Hernández.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City and DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Rescue workers stand on the rubble of a building that collapsed during the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Houses in the Caribe neighborhood are seen at the top. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Volunteers and a Mexican rescuer help to find survivors in a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on June 30, 2026, following the June 24 twin earthquakes. (Miguel Medina/Pool Photo via AP)

Volunteers and rescuers help to find survivors in a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on June 30, 2026, following the June 24 twin earthquakes. (Miguel Medina/Pool Photo via AP)

UK ISAR (International Search and Rescue) are pictured in Caraballeda, La Guaira, Venezuela Tuesday, June 30, 2026, following two powerful earthquakes. (Miguel Medina/Pool Photo via AP)

Khaterine Roa cries as members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department search for survivors at a building that collapsed during the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

MIAMI (AP) — Add Norman Powell to the list of this past season's All-Stars who are changing addresses this summer in NBA free agency.

Powell has agreed to a two-year deal that could be worth up to $45 million with the Chicago Bulls, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday. Powell also had received some interest from the Detroit Pistons, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be finalized until July 6 at the earliest.

ESPN and Chicago Sports Network were among those who first reported the agreement between Powell and the Bulls, who will hold a team option for 2027-28. Powell spent this past season in Miami, where he became an All-Star for the first time and averaged 21.7 points in 58 games with the Heat.

Miami will have a very different look this coming season, after the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade that sent Tyler Herro and others to Milwaukee. Powell will be joining his fifth team, after past stints with Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto and the Heat.

Powell is among five — and there likely will be more — All-Star selections from 2026 alone to be on the move this offseason.

He joins Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee to Miami), Kawhi Leonard and Brandon Ingram (the headliners of a trade that brings Leonard back to Toronto and sends Ingram to the Los Angeles Clippers), and LeBron James (who is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers for a yet-to-be-decided team).

Of the 62 players with at least one All-Star selection in the last five years, just over half — 32 of them — have changed teams at least once in that span.

Nikola Vucevic is headed back to the Orlando Magic, agreeing on a one-year deal for just under $4 million, a person with knowledge of those talks confirmed.

Vucevic is second all-time on the Magic list in rebounds, third in points and fourth in games played. The 35-year-old center has been in the league for 15 seasons, nine of those with Orlando — and now joins a young core led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Orlando needed another post option after losing Moritz Wagner in free agency to Brooklyn — and Vucevic, who still has a home in central Florida, was the natural fit.

Moritz Wagner, the brother of Franz Wagner, is signing a two-year deal with the Nets.

Vucevic averaged 15.1 points this past season for Chicago and Boston.

Mitchell Robinson just won a title with New York, and now the center will chase another in Boston.

The Celtics agreed to a $47.4 million, three-year deal with Robinson, a person with knowledge of that agreement told the AP. And veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. also is headed to the Celtics on a one-year deal, a second person with knowledge of that agreement said.

Robinson's deal includes a third-year option. Conley is set to play a milestone 20th season in the NBA.

Marcus Smart, the NBA's defensive player of the year in 2022, is about to join his fourth team in a span of 17 months after agreeing with the Houston Rockets on a two-year deal worth about $12.7 million, a person with knowledge of those talks told the AP.

Smart was with Memphis as recently as February 2025, then was sent to Washington to complete that season and spent this past season with the Lakers.

He averaged 9.3 points and started 54 games for the Lakers in 2025-26.

Forward John Collins is changing teams again, after agreeing to a three-year contract with the Pistons, a person with knowledge of those negotiations told the AP.

ESPN reported the deal is worth $51 million.

The Pistons will be Collins' third team in as many seasons. He started his career in Atlanta, then spent two seasons in Utah (until 2024-25) and played for the Clippers last season.

The Lakers are thoroughly retooling their roster following James’ decision and Smart’s departure. After agreeing to a major trade to acquire center Walker Kessler from Utah, they added forward Sandro Mamukelashvili and guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton in free agency, a person with knowledge of those talks told the AP.

Mamukelashvili, a bulky power forward with an outside shooting touch, played his way into a multiyear deal with the Lakers by scoring a career-high 11.2 points per game and hitting 38.9% of his 3-point attempts for Toronto last season and then opting out of his contract.

Grimes is a former Dallas teammate of Luka Doncic who provides strong on-ball defense and versatile offensive skills. Grimes posted a photo of himself as a child wearing Lakers gear on social media Wednesday.

Sexton has been a consistent scorer throughout his first eight NBA seasons with four teams. He averaged 15.4 points and 3.3 assists per game last season for Charlotte and Chicago.

AP Sports Writers Kyle Hightower in Boston and Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

FILE - Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie, left, controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, right, during the second half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, April 26, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren, File)

FILE - Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

FILE - LA Clippers forward John Collins, right, shoots as Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos defends during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game April 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)