Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 4,930 amid massive relief effort

The double earthquake that struck Venezuela on 24 June has claimed at least 4,930 lives and left 16,740 injured, according to the latest official update. More than 30,000 responders, including 2,278 international rescuers and over 35,000 volunteers, are deployed. Over 10,000 tonnes of food and 26 million litres of water have been distributed, while 17,907 people remain displaced and 856 buildings are damaged or collapsed.

International assistance includes an Argentine volunteer fire brigade, which deployed specialists using satellite internet and portable generators to overcome logistics challenges. A Colombia‑Venezuela humanitarian partnership launched the “Fondo Humanitario 77” to provide prostheses, wheelchairs and long‑term rehabilitation for amputees and others with severe injuries. The United Nations has urged Venezuelan authorities to lift legal restrictions on NGOs that are essential to the response.

The disaster has generated more than two million tonnes of rubble, a volume described as unprecedented, prompting the government to set up temporary disposal sites and explore recycling. Child protection agencies warn of heightened risks for minors living in temporary shelters. Engineers’s associations are drafting a preventive structural‑evaluation plan for the eastern states to mitigate future seismic damage.