Venezuela declares seven days of mourning as twin‑earthquake death toll reaches 2,295, one week after the disaster

The tremors that struck the coast

On 24 June two powerful earthquakes, magnitudes 7.5 and 7.2, hit Venezuela’s central coastline within hours of each other. The worst damage is concentrated in the capital Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, where buildings collapsed and critical infrastructure was severed.

Venezuela's soul is torn apart by the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes.

A week of rescue and aftershocks

More than 780 aftershocks have rattled the region since the initial quakes, complicating search‑and‑rescue operations. According to the government, 26,121 Venezuelan troops, 3,660 foreign rescuers and 148 search dogs are still working day and night. An aircraft carrying Spanish volunteers departed for Venezuela on Wednesday to set up a field hospital providing emergency primary care, psychological support and surgical procedures.

Rising human cost

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez informed the country that the death toll had climbed to 2,295 and the number of injured stood at 11,267. Some later reports put the injured figure at 10,571, while the tally of affected families ranges from 12,841 to 15,866. The United Nations Development Programme issued a preliminary economic‑damage estimate of $6.7 billion.

Official mourning

Exactly one week after the tragedy, interim President Delcy Rodríguez decreed seven days of national mourning starting at 6 p.m. local time on 1 July. “We accompany in grief the families who have lost their loved ones and we raise our prayers for the injured, the missing and the affected communities,” she said, adding that the government reaffirms its commitment to support and protect those suffering.