CARACAS: Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes killed nearly 3,000, updated official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations for survivors in the rubble of the disaster.
Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the June 24 disaster that has left thousands homeless in the streets and sheltering in camps.
Tens of thousands more are still reported missing. The government has not given any estimates, but the United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks.
One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital Caracas, where scores of residential complexes were flattened.
Ten days after the double shocks, which came just 38 seconds apart, rescue teams are starting to wrap up searches for survivors while families still try to recover bodies of loved ones from the wreckage.
The critical window for rescues in disasters like earthquakes usually ends after 72 hours, though a few people have been found alive this week.
In an apparent sign that rescue missions were closing up, interim President Delcy Rodriquez held a ceremony to hand out medals to international teams, including their rescue dogs. Venezuela is experiencing “a profound grief gripping our people, where families still hold out hope of finding loved ones alive, people who have lost everything”, Rodriquez said.
International disaster teams, including some US squads, and some South American teams were starting to finish up rescue operations, their members said on Saturday.
The Los Angeles County fire department rescue team is ending operations after its latest searches showed no signs of life, and teams from Florida and Virginia were packing up to leave this weekend, they said.
Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as their government’s slow response to the disaster, saying families spent initial hours digging out loved ones themselves before international teams arrived.
Rodriguez has defended her government’s response, saying thousands of troops and officials had been dispatched.
In La Guaira, workers with heavy machinery on Saturday were starting to knock down collapsed structures while in others, families were still trying to remove bodies of loved ones for funerals.
The United Nations estimates the twin earthquakes caused $6.7 billion in damage, about 6 per cent of Venezuela’s GDP.
The Maiquetia International Airport in La Guaira, serving Caracas, suffered damage but has partially reopened for humanitarian flights.
Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2026
