Venezuela Earthquakes Kill 2,595 as Caracas and La Guaira Rescue Efforts Continue

Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela less than a minute apart on June 24, reaching magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, and the death toll climbed to 2,645 confirmed dead as of Friday, with as many as 38,500 people missing.

“Caracas, Venezuela – A week after twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the country is only beginning to process the tragedy”

Al Jazeera

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Friday that the death toll rose to 2,595 and that the increase was 300 from the previous day, while rescue operations continued for more than a week after the country's strongest tremors in over a century.

Al Jazeera

The quakes flattened buildings across Caracas and La Guaira, and severely damaged Simón Bolívar International Airport, the main gateway to the capital, according to the Reuters account.

Authorities say nearly 800 buildings collapsed, including 189 that were completely destroyed, and a preliminary satellite analysis released by NASA and Oregon State University researchers estimated that about 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed.

In Caracas and La Guaira, the aftermath was visible in cracked roadways and toppled buildings, and Al Jazeera described parks and public squares becoming makeshift tent villages for thousands unable to return to their homes.

Al Jazeera framed the week after the June 24 quakes as a struggle with the aftermath, reporting that international rescue teams fought through mountains of rubble while local volunteers worked late into the night with hammers, pickaxes and shovels.

Podologist Rineri Pereira, 58, described the moment from La Guaira as "the longest and most traumatic seconds of my life" and said, "I feel like I’m in a nightmare that hasn’t ended."

CNBC

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez defended the government's response, denying it could have acted faster, while Al Jazeera reported that survivors accused the government of constructing shoddy public housing and failing to implement safety standards.

The Reuters account said the Venezuelan government rejected criticisms that it reacted too slowly, and Rodríguez said her government issued an emergency decree to activate civil protection and emergency protocols within hours of the tremors.

In the same Al Jazeera report, manicurist and salesperson Daylin Arias, 36, said her husband was last seen at 4:57pm and that "We still haven’t found him, and many other people are still missing."

As official tallies continued to shift, El País reported that the Venezuelan government elevated the death toll to 1.943 and the number of injured to 10.571, with an increase of 224 deaths and more than 5.500 injured compared with the previous day.

“Live coverage: earthquake in Venezuela | The government raises the death toll to 1,943 and puts the number of injured at 10,571 after the double quake”

El Confidencial

El País also said that 19 Spaniards were among the dead, that 131 remained missing, and that 12 were located under the rubble, while it cited a preliminary estimate of 6.700 millones de dólares for damages to housing and economic assets.

The Reuters account described a broader response effort, saying the U.S. deployed four search-and-rescue teams with more than 900 personnel in Venezuela and another roughly 800 in Caribbean hubs Puerto Rico and Curaçao, and that the Trump administration pledged to mobilize $150 million in humanitarian aid.

In Al Jazeera’s account of the ongoing search, the death toll was expected to rise further with as many as 38,500 missing, and it described international rescuers joined by local volunteers continuing to search for survivors.

Folha de S.Paulo described the long displacement in Caracas, saying thousands were living in parks and on the streets and that the camp in Parque del Este had become a shelter for those who lost their homes or parts of them, with around 2,000 people still living there on Friday (the 3rd).