The government of Venezuela announced on Friday that the death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes that struck on June 24 has exceeded 4,000. Jorge Rodriguez, the chief of the Venezuelan parliament, reported via Telegram that at least 4,118 people have died, while 16,740 others sustained injuries. Beyond the confirmed fatalities, thousands of individuals remain missing following the disaster, which leveled entire districts within the coastal state of La Guaira.
The catastrophe was triggered by a 7.2-magnitude tremor followed just 39 seconds later by a 7.5-magnitude quake, marking the most powerful seismic event in the country in over a century. The force of the shocks caused the collapse of entire high-rise apartment complexes. While official rescue operations have concluded, families continue to search through the rubble in hopes of recovering their loved ones for proper burial. Tensions remained high on Friday as a 3.0-magnitude aftershock in central Caracas triggered widespread panic and the evacuation of buildings.
The nation is now grappling with a monumental recovery effort, further complicated by a long-standing economic crisis that has severely hampered state services. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates that the direct physical damage to infrastructure and housing has reached approximately $37 billion. In response to the crisis, the UN issued an urgent appeal on Wednesday for nearly $300 million to provide essential aid, including mobile clinics, field hospitals, and mobile kitchens, to roughly 1.3 million people in need.
Interim president Delcy Rodríguez is pushing for the release of frozen international assets to fund the recovery, including a request made to King Charles III for the return of 30 tons of Venezuelan gold currently held under UK sanctions. While Rodríguez has defended the government’s emergency response, many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the US-backed government’s inadequate response to the disaster before international teams arrived.
Although rescue teams have halted searches for survivors, family members continue to scour the ruins for their loved ones, in the hope of giving them a dignified burial.
