Agadir – Venezuela’s death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24 has risen to 6,438, according to the latest official figures, as families and rescue teams continue searching for missing people nearly two months after the disaster.
National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez announced the new toll on Monday, marking an increase from the previous figure of 6,301 reported a week earlier.
The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck northern Venezuela on June 24. The tremors hit about 40 seconds apart, with the hardest-hit areas including the coastal state of La Guaira, north of Caracas.
The disaster caused widespread destruction, with 190 buildings reported to have collapsed and hundreds of other structures sustaining severe damage. Earlier government figures also showed that thousands of people were left without homes following the quakes.
The humanitarian crisis has continued well beyond the initial rescue operation. Thousands of survivors remain displaced in temporary shelters and camps, while authorities face the challenge of providing permanent housing and basic assistance to affected communities.
The government has pledged to provide 4,000 homes to earthquake victims by the end of the year. So far, 335 homes have been made available, according to the latest reports.
The scale of the disaster became apparent in the days following the earthquakes. On June 26, the UN humanitarian chief said more than 50,000 people were missing, although Venezuela’s government has not released an official figure for those still unaccounted for.
The earthquakes also generated a large number of aftershocks, complicating rescue and recovery efforts and creating additional risks for residents and emergency workers. Earlier assessments recorded more than 1,400 aftershocks in the weeks following the main tremors.
