Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes rises to 1,430 as 50,000 people remain missing

The earthquakes

Two strong earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday 24 June, 200 kilometres from the capital Caracas. The first measured 7.2 magnitude and the second 7.5, occurring less than a minute apart, according to the United States Geological Survey. More than 20 aftershocks followed, including a magnitude 5.4 tremor in the early hours of Saturday 27 June and a 2.9 tremor northwest of San Felipe. The main coastal city of La Guaira, home to the country's primary airport, bore the brunt of the destruction, with dozens of buildings collapsing or becoming severely damaged. Caracas was also heavily affected, with an estimated two million people impacted in the capital alone.

The La Guaira area is a total disaster. The tragedy is enormous.

Casualty figures

Official numbers have climbed rapidly. On Friday the National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez confirmed 920 dead. By Saturday morning the toll stood at 929, and by Saturday evening a government official on state television put the figure at 1,430. At least 3,360 people were injured, according to the earlier official count. The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP that more than 50,000 people were missing. The UN migration agency estimated that up to 6.76 million people were affected by the quakes, including two million in Caracas. Authorities warned that the death toll would rise considerably given the complexity of the rescue operation.

Portuguese community losses

The disaster has struck hard at the large Portuguese diaspora. By the afternoon of 27 June, Portugal's foreign ministry confirmed 36 Portuguese nationals and people of Portuguese descent had died, among them five children. A further 91 were missing or uncontactable. An earlier ministry report had listed 32 dead and 96 missing. Later in the day, another account cited at least 41 Portuguese and lusodescendants killed and 87 missing. Fernando Campos, counsellor for the Portuguese communities in Venezuela, described the situation as a humanitarian catastrophe. Portugal dispatched two Air Force planes carrying a 64-strong rescue mission and 23 tonnes of aid, including medical supplies, tents, generators and food. The mission is scheduled for ten days, with a two-day reserve.

International rescue effort

At least 17 countries mobilised search and rescue teams to Venezuela, a nation whose healthcare system was already in crisis. The first foreign team on site, a Chilean unit led by Nadiomar Polanco, arrived in La Guaira and began searching collapsed buildings.

Unfortunately we have little chance of finding survivors.

The United States pledged $150 million, two warships, transport planes and helicopters, and a 250-person team. Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who has held office since Nicolás Maduro's capture by the US in January, ordered 14,000 soldiers and police into La Guaira state and restricted access to the zone, saying the influx of volunteers was hampering rescue work. She was met with booing near a collapsed apartment block in an affluent Caracas neighbourhood.