Venezuela Twin Earthquakes Kill 2,295 as Rescue Efforts Continue in La Guaira

Venezuela’s twin earthquakes struck on June 24, with a magnitude 7.2 quake followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, and the death toll has risen to 2,295 as rescue efforts continue in La Guaira.

“Venezuela earthquakes latest: Nearly 50,000 unaccounted for as death toll climbs At least 2,295 have died as a result of last week's earthquakes, officials said”

ABC News

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, said the earthquakes left at least 2,295 people dead and another 11,267 injured, while 26,403 people were impacted including those who lost homes or saw serious damage.

ABC News

In La Guaira, authorities said on Monday that at least 1,719 people had been killed and 5,034 injured in the twin quakes, with tens of thousands more remaining missing or unaccounted for.

Rescue teams said the first 72 hours after a quake are critical for finding people alive, yet searches continued after that window passed, as families kept vigil at piles of rubble.

A magnitude 4.6 aftershock struck near Caraballeda on Monday, and shaking sent Caracas residents screaming into the streets as the search for survivors continued.

As the official toll rose, CNN reported that a forensic pathologist in La Guaira, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, said the government death toll was “not even a third of what is actually there.”

CNN also described a makeshift morgue in the port city of La Guaira processing around 400 bodies a day, with no more room in refrigerated trucks and body bags placed outside in the sun.

Al Jazeera

Opposition politicians including María Corina Machado accused the government of downplaying the level of destruction, while Provea said the “official earthquake figures raise more doubts than they provide answers.”

In a separate framing, Euronews said the United Nations estimates there could be as many as 68,000 missing, while Venezuelan authorities raised the death toll to more than 1,700 and said 5,034 people were injured.

Euronews also reported that Jorge Rodríguez indicated 15,866 people remained displaced and 22,619 others were being treated in health centers, as searches continued in La Guaira.

Beyond casualties, the sources describe a widening humanitarian strain as Venezuela’s water system failed in some areas, leaving many survivors without guaranteed access to safe drinking water.

“Advertisement At 6:05 PM local time, and at 12:05 AM this past dawn in Spain, one week has passed since the devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela”

Antena 3 Noticias

The International Rescue Committee said children are among the nearly 50,000 people still missing, while searchers combing through rubble with bare hands tried to find survivors.

France 24 reported that a seven-day national mourning was decreed, and it quoted Delcy Rodríguez declaring a seven-day national mourning “in memory of the victims.”

France 24 also warned that food stocks were running low and that the odds of finding survivors were dwindling, while the World Food Programme launched an appeal to raise $50 million to feed 500,000 people for three months.

The sources also point to the next phase of response, with the UN Refugee Agency warning that “More than 80% of La Guaira state is in crisis; authorities must act,” and with the International Organization for Migration estimating up to 6.8 million people could be affected and require shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare and other relief items.