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Rescuers pause beneath a collapsed building during search and recovery efforts in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on July 11, 2026, after twin earthquakes rocked the area. — AFP
The death count from Venezuela’s recent twin earthquakes has exceeded 4,300, according to a top government official on Saturday.
Jorge Rodriguez, President of the National Assembly and brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, reported the toll at 4,333 — up from 4,118 the previous day.
The two quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck Caracas and the coastal region of La Guaira on June 24, destroying entire high-rise apartment complexes into piles of debris.
Homeless families have set up makeshift camps in stadiums, plazas, and along sidewalks, with over 19,000 people currently living in these temporary shelters, Rodriguez noted.
International and Venezuelan volunteers are working together to deliver medical aid in open-area tents and distributing food supplies.
While Rodriguez did not specify how many individuals are still missing, the United Nations estimates that around 50,000 people remain unaccounted for.
He dismissed the notion that the government would halt the search for bodies amid concerns from families that the rubble might be cleared without proper oversight.
Initial government estimates suggest around 25,000 homes will eventually be needed to accommodate displaced people.
Rodriguez indicated that the government plans to start providing some apartments to families in the coming days, specifically those whose homes were under construction prior to the earthquakes.
However, he emphasized that substantial resources are required for building additional housing, along with rental assistance and loans for property purchases.
More than 40 plots of land in La Guaira, totaling approximately 584,000 square meters, have been designated by the government for new housing developments, Rodriguez added.
He explained that these sites are located on stable plains, away from the coastal zones where hundreds of buildings were damaged or completely collapsed.
Additionally, this week, interim President Delcy Rodriguez requested that Britain’s King Charles III release Venezuela’s gold reserves held at the Bank of England.
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