Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Nears 2,000
The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week rose to nearly 2,000, as aftershocks eased in both frequency and intensity and authorities expanded recovery efforts.
Almost 20,000 people survived the disaster in the hardest-hit coastal state of La Guaira, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Tuesday during a televised briefing. The earthquakes left more than 10,000 people injured and 15,000 displaced, he added.
Rodríguez didn’t provide a figure for the number of missing, but figures tabulated by the political opposition suggest more than 40,000 people remain unaccounted for.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck less than a minute apart on June 24, toppling buildings and damaging critical infrastructure including the country’s main international airport. Search-and-rescue teams from more than 50 countries have joined Venezuelan personnel in recovery operations, while foreign governments and aid organizations continue to deliver hundreds of tons of humanitarian supplies, authorities said.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and her officials have maintained tight control over public communications and relief efforts. Opposition leader María Corina Machado remains in Panama after unsuccessful attempts to reenter the country she left in 2025 after a wave of repression that followed a contested election. She has vowed to return as quickly as possible, without fallout from the quakes testing the legitimacy of Rodríguez’s US-backed government.
Anxiety remained high in Caracas and other parts of the country, especially after a strong aftershock jolted many residents awake Monday. Some of those who have been able to return to their homes say they’re still struggling to sleep, keeping emergency bags packed and doors unlocked or ajar in case they need to evacuate quickly if another major tremor strikes.
Even so, signs of normalcy are beginning to emerge in the capital. More businesses and public venues have reopened, including some restaurants, bakeries and auto parts stores in largely unaffected neighborhoods such as El Hatillo and Bello Monte. Still, the prevailing mood is one of grief as residents grapple with the scale of the disaster.
Authorities are housing displaced residents in 69 temporary shelters, including 14 in La Guaira and another 55 across Caracas, Miranda and other affected states, Jorge Rodríguez said. The government aims to relocate people currently staying in provisional camps to more permanent shelters by Wednesday.
Electricity service in La Guaira has been “almost completely” restored, Rodríguez said, though telecommunications remained partially disrupted. Movistar was operating at about 27% of capacity, Digitel at 64%, Movilnet at 24% and state-owned CANTV at 70%, he added.
The decline in the frequency and average magnitude of aftershocks is “an encouraging sign but not permanent,” Rodríguez said.
Top photo: Rescuers comb through rubble of a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on June 28. Photographer: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images. Bloomberg.