La Guaira governor reports 1,579 missing after earthquakes

Venezuelan authorities in La Guaira have registered 1,579 individuals as missing following the double earthquake that struck on June 24. Governor José Alejandro Terán announced the figure, stating it was compiled from data provided by families participating in a census.

Terán explained that the updated tally, as of August 3, is derived from information gathered from 35,991 households. He described it as the most robust database of missing persons to date, as it was supplied directly by relatives. This official report marks the first comprehensive assessment of missing persons released by La Guaira authorities since the disaster.

The government's interim figure contrasts sharply with data collected by the citizen platform desaparecidosterremotovenezuela.com. This platform has received over 82,000 reports, corresponding to approximately 44,418 unique individuals. According to their records, 29,518 people remain unaccounted for, while 14,900 have been located.

Previously, on June 25, the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez had reported 157 people missing in the immediate aftermath of the seismic events. The discrepancy between the official count and the citizen platform's data highlights the challenges in accurately assessing the full human toll of the earthquakes.