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Death toll and damage
Venezuela’s twin earthquakes that struck on June 24 have killed 3,535 people, with 16,740 injured, according to government figures released on Monday as rescue operations continued amid widespread destruction.
The government also confirmed 6,462 people have been rescued so far, while nearly 18,000 remain homeless, and authorities recorded nearly 800 collapsed buildings with 189 totally destroyed.
A satellite-based analysis from NASA and Oregon State University researchers put the number of damaged or destroyed structures closer to 58,870, higher than what Venezuelan authorities reported.
Economic assessments diverged as the UN Development Programme estimated direct physical damage at $6.7 billion, around 6% of GDP, while risk modeler Verisk projected total economic losses exceeding $10 billion.
Officials said the country’s oil exports faced only minor disruption, though PDVSA’s Catia La Mar fuel terminal in one of the worst-affected zones is still being inspected for damage.
Vigils, mourning, and rebuilding
Venezuelans held vigils in Caracas and Maracaibo on Sunday evening, and at the Central University of Caracas attendees lit up white candles and placed them on the ground to create the shape of the South American nation.
Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of “national mourning” on Tuesday as search-and-rescue efforts transitioned from saving trapped survivors to retrieving bodies from the rubble.
In Caraballeda, La Guaira, two cousins—Pedro Veloz Medina and Alejandrina Ramírez de Veloz—were missing after living in a seven-story building, and Valeria Veloz said on Instagram the family was looking for a crane after assessors told them they would need to lift 10 large plates of concrete.
NBC News reported that on Sunday Rodríguez created a new military unit to oversee emergency and disaster management as Venezuelans embarked on a long road to rebuild amid political and economic crises.
In Brisas de Maiquetia in La Guaira, the Venezuelan government began rebuilding efforts over the weekend, and Ester Birrier said the reconstruction work would be finished in around three months or even sooner.
Aftershocks, missing people, and aid
As focus shifted from rescuing survivors to burying the dead and clearing debris, international rescue teams began leaving Venezuela while the UN said it was continuing to ramp up aid operations in coordination with the government in Caracas.
“Venezuelan Earthquake Death Toll Soars as Country's Independence Day Arrives On July 5, Venezuelans observed their country's Independence Day amidst the suffering and chaos of the recent twin earthquakes”
France 24 reported that the UN estimates as many as 50,000 people may still be unaccounted for, while the government had not given a figure for those still missing under mountains of rubble.
The death toll and injury counts were accompanied by aftershock reporting, with the Miami Herald saying authorities reported 1,048 aftershocks since the main earthquakes, surpassing the 1,000 mark.
The same report said temporary camps increased from 59 to 79, while hospitals and emergency clinics treated 25,016 patients and authorities said more than 9,585 metric tons of food and 669,000 liters of water were distributed.
In the midst of the rebuilding push, Le Monde reported that Interim President Delcy Rodriguez defended the government reaction, saying, “There will be no social unrest here, what we have here is deep social solidarity.”
