Venezuela earthquake victims buried in improvised mass graves as aid efforts continue

In La Guaira, authorities created an improvised cemetery with common graves to inter victims of the June 24 earthquakes after morgues reached capacity. At least 150 bodies have been buried in the temporary site, each photographed, coded and sampled for DNA to aid future identification. Official figures list 3,811 deaths, over 16,000 injured and more than 18,000 people reported missing. The United Nations estimates the disaster caused about $37 billion in infrastructure and housing losses, and 87 temporary camps now house roughly 14,600 displaced residents.

Carpenter Guillermo Uzcanga, who gained attention for donating over 200 urns to families of the dead, denied online rumors that he had been detained. In a video message he confirmed he is free, apologized for earlier comments about the urns, and pledged to keep supporting the affected communities with additional educational supplies.