Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Exceeds 4,300; Recovery Efforts Continue

The number of fatalities from the powerful double earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24 has surpassed 4,300, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced Saturday. The devastating tremors primarily impacted Caracas and the neighboring state of La Guaira, leaving thousands homeless. Many survivors are now residing in makeshift camps set up in stadiums, plazas, and along sidewalks.

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The number of Venezuelans deceased due to the direct action of the terrible earthquakes of June 24 is 4,333.

Rodríguez stated that the confirmed death toll currently stands at 4,333, with 16,740 individuals injured. He reported that over 19,000 displaced individuals are living in improvised shelters. Volunteers, both Venezuelan and international, are providing essential medical care and distributing food in these open-air areas. While Rodríguez did not provide a specific figure for the missing, the UN estimates around 50,000 people are unaccounted for. He confirmed that 315 unidentified bodies, representing about 7% of the total deceased, are still awaiting identification.

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The debris removal process is being done slowly.

Despite fears from families, Rodríguez assured that the government would not halt the search for bodies and that debris removal is proceeding slowly and carefully. He expressed hope that survivors might still be found in one or two locations. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, occurring less than a minute apart, are among the most severe recorded in Latin America. Initial government estimates suggest a need for approximately 25,000 new homes. The administration plans to begin distributing some houses from its social housing program, "Misión Vivienda," in the coming days, but acknowledges that significant resources are required for new construction, rental assistance, and property purchases. The government has allocated over 40 plots of land in La Guaira for new housing construction, situated in safe plains away from the damaged coastal areas where hundreds of buildings were affected and over 180 collapsed entirely. In a related development, interim President Delcy Rodríguez recently requested that King Charles III release Venezuela's frozen international gold reserves held by the Bank of England.

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The government will begin delivering some houses from its social housing program Misión Vivienda in the coming days.