The death toll in the catastrophic double earthquake that shook Venezuela on June 24, has reached 2954 people, the country's official authorities announced. According to the latest data as of 3:45 a.m. Bulgarian time on July 5, 2026, the number of wounded has increased to 16,592 people. The disaster became one of the worst seismic disasters in Latin American history in the last century.
What we know about the disaster so far:
Chronology of the earthquakes: The earthquake struck on June 24 in the northwestern and central parts of the country. Within just 39 seconds, two extremely powerful consecutive earthquakes were registered with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. Their epicenter is located in the municipality of Veroes (Yarraqui state).
Epicenter of the destruction: The coastal state of La Guaira, as well as the capital Caracas, was the hardest hit. So far, over 890 aftershocks have been registered in the country, further complicating the situation.
Humanitarian crisis and damage: More than 16,000 people have been left completely homeless. Over 190 buildings have been officially confirmed to have completely collapsed, and hundreds more (including hospitals and schools) have suffered serious structural damage. Power, water and telecommunications outages remain widespread.
Rescue operations: Ten days after the quakes, international and local teams are gradually beginning to end the search for survivors under the rubble. So far, 6,462 people have been successfully rescued. Morgues across the country are overflowing, and identifying bodies is difficult due to a lack of funds for DNA testing.
International aid: UN agencies (UNICEF, OCHA) are operating on the ground, in cooperation with the International Red Cross. Field hospitals have been built by the United States and India to help the collapsed local health system. Venezuela and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are preparing a $200 million recovery fund.
Sources: BTA, NOVA, OCHA, ReliefWeb, CNN
