The death toll from the double earthquake that occurred on Wednesday in the northern part of Venezuela rose to 1,719 and the number of injured to 5,034, the president of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, reported on Monday, June 29, 2026.
“The number of people who lost their lives amounts to 1,719 and 5,034 people injured,” said Rodríguez during the assessment offered through the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) without giving an account of the number of missing people.
Since they occurred earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, 609 aftershocks have been recorded, including that on the morning of Monday, June 29, which, according to Rodríguez, was 4.2, although the United States Geological Survey assured that it was 4.6.
“Today this morning we had an aftershock that was felt by the population (…) it generated some anxiety in the population but we must say that there was no impact,” he noted.
So far, the Government registers 15,866 people affected and 855 buildings affected, of which “189 suffered a total collapse.”
Rescuers from 27 countries
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla, explained that the organization is coordinating more than 2,000 rescuers sent from 27 countries to search for survivors under the rubble after the two earthquakes that hit Caracas.
Rampolla reported at the press conference of the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, where he spoke by videoconference, that 27 countries have deployed more than 40 search and rescue teams, which means more than 2,000 rescuers and personnel on the ground, along with 160 dogs.
According to him, search and rescue is the first objective of the “large-scale operation” that they are carrying out even though the first 72 hours have already passed.
“We are coordinating efforts to provide emergency health assistance, shelter, food aid, water and sanitation, logistical support, and to ensure not only the storage, but also the distribution of all supplies that are arriving in the country,” he noted.
Rampolla defended collaboration with the Government to guarantee “the best possible use and maximum impact of the resources” that are being provided.
Among other things, he highlighted “the close collaboration” with American rescue teams after being asked by reporters if there are differences in the teams on the ground since President Donald Trump ordered the closure of USAID, the US Agency for International Development.
“In fact, the United States was the first government to announce the availability of funds to respond to the emergency,” he said to rule out changes.
Hard blow for Venezuela
The double earthquake is the deadliest that Venezuela has experienced in the last century. Fifty-nine years earlier, in July 1967, an earthquake occurred near Caracas in which 245 people died, thousands were injured, and the material damage was extensive.
The earthquakes five days ago affected Caracas and six other states in the north of the country. The most affected region has been La Guaira, a coastal area that already experienced a tragedy due to a landslide in 1999 that left thousands of dead.
The president of Parliament said that in La Guaira they have set up 15 “large shelters” and other “less large” ones in schools and that in Caracas 50 “provisional” camps have been established.
On Sunday, June 28, the president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced the immediate creation of a commission to inspect the homes that were damaged by the double earthquake and extended the suspension of classes for a week.
International and national rescuers continue searching for survivors in the rubble, while some residents of La Guaira denounce the delay in the arrival of aid to their sectors.
