The number of confirmed deaths after the devastating twin earthquakes that shook Venezuela's northern coast late last month has officially risen to 3,535.
The figures were announced by the President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, and confirmed by the country's Health Ministry. The new toll shows a significant increase compared to the previous days, when the number of victims was 3,342.
The Seismic Phenomenon and the Destruction
The disaster struck the country on the evening of June 24, 2026, when the northern and central parts of Venezuela were hit by a so-called “double quake“ (earthquake doublet) within just 39 seconds. The first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale served as a harbinger, followed immediately by the main destructive tremor with a magnitude of 7.5. The epicenter was located in the state of Yaracuy, but the wave caused severe structural damage to the capital Caracas and literally leveled entire neighborhoods in the coastal state of La Guaira.
Officially, 856 large buildings were affected, of which 190 were completely collapsed. However, preliminary NASA satellite estimates indicate that nearly 58,000 buildings in six states suffered some type of damage or were destroyed. Direct economic losses to infrastructure and buildings already exceed $37 billion.
Humanitarian crisis and tens of thousands missing
More than 16,700 people have been hospitalized with various injuries. However, the collapse of Venezuela's fragile healthcare system puts survivors at serious risk of infectious diseases and shortages of essential medicines.
Most worrying is the fate of the missing. While the government admits to "thousands missing", independent databases tracking missing people (such as Desaparecidos Terremoto Venezuela) and international organizations estimate the number at between 31,000 and 41,000 people, who are believed to still be buried under the rubble. The UN and UNICEF have warned that around 1.8 million people, including 680,000 children, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
Public Outcry and Political Outcry
Twelve days after the disaster, foreign rescue teams - including specialist teams from the US, Italy, Spain and Argentina - began to abandon their search operations and leave the country, as the chances of finding survivors under the rubble were now slim. This left local residents alone, often with improvised means or with equipment they had rented on their own, to dig for the bodies of their loved ones.
The worsening situation has sparked a wave of anger among the population. Citizens and volunteers accuse the Caracas administration of a complete lack of disaster preparedness, poor quality of public construction and a delayed response, with official information only released six hours after the first tremors. In an official speech on Independence Day, interim President Delcy Rodriguez strongly rejected accusations of inadequate crisis management and announced the launch of the “Renaissance of Venezuela” program, aimed at rebuilding infrastructure with an initial fund of $200 million. However, experts emphasize that the actual amount of reconstruction will be dozens of times greater.