Venezuela mourns 2,295 dead as rescuers race to free man trapped for seven days after twin quakes

The earthquakes and the toll

On 24 June, two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela, with the coastal state of La Guaira bearing the brunt of the destruction. The confirmed death toll has reached 2,295, according to official figures, while an estimated 50,000 people remain missing. Another 11,267 were injured and at least 13,000 are homeless, compounding a pre-existing economic crisis.

The soul of Venezuela has been shattered.

Interim president Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of national mourning starting at 18:00 local time on 1 July, describing the loss of life as devastating.

The race to free Hernán Gil

A week after the quakes, rescuers are still finding survivors. A 43-year-old security guard, Hernán Gil, was located alive on 1 July beneath the collapsed building where he worked in Catia La Mar. He had been trapped in a basement booth for seven days. More than 100 rescuers from Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico have been working for over 48 hours to reach him, reinforcing the structure to prevent further collapse.

The problem is that Hernán is in the basement and there are large amounts of debris, making the operation extremely delicate and demanding.

Gil is receiving water and medication and remains in contact with the teams. Rescuers were within a metre of him by late Wednesday, but no timeline for extraction has been given. Earlier, a three-year-old boy was pulled alive from rubble on 30 June, six days after the disaster.

Looting and police arrests

As rescue efforts continue, looting has added to the chaos. Four police officers were arrested after residents caught them stealing money from the ruins of the Residencias Vallarta complex in La Guaira. Videos circulated on social media show angry crowds surrounding the officers, shouting "Vultures" and "You are a disgrace". One clip shows an officer holding a damaged box full of cash; another shows a woman tearing a banknote she had taken from the police.

A group of public officials, violating their duties and taking advantage of rescue and humanitarian aid operations, acted shamelessly appropriating financial assets found in the rubble.

The justice ministry released footage of one officer surrendering his weapon and removing his uniform. All four were dismissed and will face prosecution. Looting incidents, which began the day after the earthquakes, have persisted despite the deployment of law enforcement.

Humanitarian strain

Food and water are scarce in the affected areas. Queues for aid grow daily, and some residents report near-violent scrambles for supplies.

They give supplies here, but sometimes people almost kill each other for food.

The situation is quite critical.

Volunteers armed with shovels and ropes are doing much of the rescue work, while some accuse security forces of obstructing aid or appropriating donations. The government has dismissed such reports as disinformation, but frustration is mounting over the slow official response.