Venezuela earthquake death toll surpasses 5,100 as IMF releases $346m for reconstruction
The official death toll from the twin June 24 earthquakes rose to 5,119 on Saturday, with 50 new fatalities recorded in 24 hours, as the IMF unlocked $346 million in frozen reserves for reconstruction.
Death toll climbs past 5,100
The official death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on 24 June rose to 5,119 on Saturday, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez. The figure increased by 50 in the preceding 24 hours, while the number of injured remained steady at 16,740, unchanged since 5 July. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, which hit 39 seconds apart, devastated the coastal state of La Guaira, just 40 minutes from the capital Caracas. More than 1,300 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial tremors.
- Twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 strike La Guaira and Caracas 39 seconds apart.
- Interim President Delcy Rodríguez honours international rescue teams from seven countries before their departure.
- IMF releases $346 million from Venezuela's reserve tranche for urgent humanitarian needs.
- Official death toll reaches 5,119, with 50 new fatalities in 24 hours.
Rescue and recovery in the rubble
Some 2,278 rescue workers are still searching for bodies in the debris of collapsed buildings, with 190 structures completely destroyed and another 856 damaged. Heavy machinery is needed to shift concrete slabs and twisted metal that block access. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez decorated 6,000 rescue workers at a televised ceremony on Saturday, praising their dedication.
It seemed impossible to work and save lives, yet they did not give up.
On 5 July she had already honoured international rescue teams from Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, France, India, Qatar and the United Kingdom before their departure.
- Collapsed
- 190 buildings
- Damaged
- 856 buildings
Displacement and humanitarian strain
Around 17,907 people lost their homes and at least 21,470 are now living in 107 temporary camps set up by the government. Many families sleep in tents under overcrowded conditions, with unreliable access to clean water and sanitation. The government says it has delivered direct aid (water, food and medical care) to 128,324 affected families. International assistance continues to arrive: EU Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib visited on Thursday, and Uruguay sent 15 tonnes of medicines, hygiene kits and other supplies on Saturday.
IMF releases $346 million for reconstruction
The International Monetary Fund unlocked $346 million from Venezuela's reserve tranche to finance reconstruction, funds that had been frozen since 2019 when the IMF refused to recognise Nicolás Maduro's government. The IMF and World Bank restored relations with Venezuela in April, after the United States removed Maduro from power in January. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said the money would support housing, infrastructure and essential public services.
I thank IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva for her support and commitment, and all the institutions that made this important step possible.
We worked with key counterparts to help Venezuela access its own resources at the Fund for urgent humanitarian needs, and the authorities have now drawn $346 million from their reserve tranche.
Questions over the official count
Authorities have not released a figure for the missing. The UN projected up to 50,000 people unaccounted for the day after the quakes, while more conservative estimates put the number closer to 10,000. The official toll includes only recovered and identified bodies. A Reuters investigation found that the first days of rescue were hampered by delayed military deployment orders, shortages of basic equipment and confusion caused by overlapping chains of command. Public anger over the slow response has grown in the weeks since the disaster.
A family's vigil in La Guaira
Lorena Laya, 24, has spent three weeks beside an excavator in La Guaira, waiting for crews to recover the bodies of her father Henry Laya, her stepmother Nohelia Iriarte and her two younger siblings. The family lived on the third floor of building OPP 27 in Caraballeda, which collapsed in the quake. Nohelia Iriarte had already survived the 1999 Vargas landslides that killed between 10,000 and 30,000 people and left her family homeless for years before they received a government apartment.
We have been here from the moment the machine starts until it stops. If I survived, it was to find them. I am doing everything I can to make that happen.
The 1999 disaster, known as the Vargas tragedy, buried entire neighbourhoods under mud and rock. Now the same coastal state, renamed La Guaira, is once again a landscape of loss and makeshift memorials.
