The number of confirmed victims of the catastrophic double earthquake that shook the northern and central parts of Venezuela on June 24, 2026, officially reached 3685 people, bTV Novinite reports. The overview of the data as of 6:30 a.m. Bulgarian time on July 8 outlines the scale of the worst natural disaster in the country's history in the last century. According to the official report of the UN (OCHA) and the local Ministry of Communications, at least 16,740 people were injured, and 6,462 people have been rescued from the rubble so far.
What happened: The phenomenon of the “double shock“
On June 24, within just 39 seconds, Venezuela was hit successively by two extremely strong earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located along the San Felipe-Humar-Montalban axis. Seismologists explain the huge number of collapsed buildings with the so-called “double shock“ - the first quake compromised the structures, and the second, more powerful, leveled them to the ground. Over 1,000 aftershocks have been recorded so far, further hampering rescue operations.
Mass destruction and economic shock
The coastal state of La Guaira was the hardest hit, followed by densely populated areas in the capital, Caracas. Estimates from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) show direct physical damage to infrastructure worth $37 billion.
- Over 190 large buildings were completely destroyed and another 856 were severely damaged.
- About a third of the capital's schools are unusable.
- Caracas International Airport remains closed to commercial flights, serving only humanitarian missions.
Growing social tensions and risk of epidemics
Over 17,800 people have been left homeless and are currently housed in around 80 transit camps set up in stadiums and sports centers. Save the Children is warning of a looming humanitarian and health crisis due to a severe shortage of drinking water and a lack of basic sanitation, which is already leading to outbreaks of skin and gastrointestinal infections among evacuees.
Meanwhile, a wave of discontent against the interim government is growing in the country. Citizens and non-governmental organizations accuse the state of a slow and inadequate response, with local residents in many areas forced to dig with their bare hands in search of survivors. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez defended the cabinet's actions, saying 30,000 officials and more than 27,000 volunteers were working on the ground, and called for national unity during the declared seven-day mourning period.
International aid continues to grow, with teams from the UN, WHO and dozens of countries delivering tons of medical supplies, field hospitals and sewage treatment plants in an attempt to contain the aftermath of the disaster.