Spain confirms nine deaths among its nationals after Venezuela’s double earthquake
Spain has confirmed nine of its nationals dead and 131 missing after the double earthquake that devastated Venezuela on 24 June, as international rescue teams pull survivors from collapsed buildings beyond the 72‑hour mark.
Double quake toll: 1,430 dead, millions affected
Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on Wednesday 24 June, with the coastal state of La Guaira among the hardest hit. Venezuelan parliament president Jorge Rodríguez announced 1,430 fatalities, 3,238 injuries and 3,142 families affected; a later government tally listed 3,328 injuries. The UN estimated up to 50,000 people missing and 6.8 million affected, with two million in Caracas alone at risk.
Spanish victims: nine dead, 131 missing
The Spanish Foreign Ministry raised its death toll on Sunday to nine (up from six on Saturday), kept the number of missing at 131 and said 14 citizens have been located under rubble. Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed delivery of a first AECID financial package and urged Spaniards in Venezuela to use the consular emergency lines (+34 910001249; +58 424 2090264; +58 212 6270300; +58 212 6270314).
Rescue teams pull survivors from the rubble after 72 hours
More than 1,600 rescuers from a dozen countries and thousands of Venezuelan volunteers are searching collapsed buildings. Spain deployed 59 UME troops, two army engineers and eight canine units, plus the ERICAM team from Madrid. On Saturday, the UME pulled a survivor from the Vistamar residential area after nearly 72 hours and later rescued a second person; the Madrid team saved an elderly resident and two grandchildren. US rescuers saved a baby, drawing a message from the US Embassy in Caracas.
Against all odds, hope endures. Each life saved is a victory.
After receiving information about possible people trapped in this residential building, our teams carry out an initial reconnaissance and technical search to locate and confirm the presence of victims under the rubble.
- Two earthquakes (M7.2 and M7.5) strike Venezuela, devastating La Guaira and other states.
- Spanish UME begins reconnaissance and search in Vistamar residential area.
- Multiple rescues: UME saves first survivor after 72 hours, then a second; ERICAM rescues elderly person and two grandchildren; US team saves baby.
- Spanish death toll rises to nine; Venezuelan official toll sits at 1,430 dead.
Desperate scenes amid crumbling buildings
Local resident Ninoska Martínez told EFE that while security crews removed debris from a collapsed building, a small dog emerged alive and two minutes later a cry for help was heard, triggering a renewed search. UME brigade member Alberto Vázquez said his unit began operations early Friday to locate people trapped under the rubble.
