The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 4,118, with thousands more injured, authorities said, as rescue and recovery efforts continue more than two weeks after the disaster.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, which struck seconds apart with epicenters in Yaracuy state’s Veroes municipality, caused catastrophic damage across the country, particularly in the capital Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, where officials estimated roughly 80% of buildings collapsed. Tens of thousands of people were reported missing in the disaster’s immediate aftermath, though authorities say many have since been located or accounted for as identification efforts continue.
The rising toll reflects Venezuela’s overwhelmed healthcare and forensic systems, which were already strained before the disaster. Human rights groups and independent observers have questioned the accuracy of the government’s daily figures, with some suggesting the true toll could be significantly higher given reports of overflowing morgues and unidentified remains. The United Nations previously said it expected the final number of dead to exceed early government estimates.
International search-and-rescue teams from multiple countries, including the United States, assisted in the weeks following the quakes, with US teams completing their mission and returning home. The government has said it is working to build new housing for hundreds of thousands of people left homeless, with satellite analysis earlier estimating that nearly 59,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed nationwide.
