Venezuela’s late-June twin earthquakes have claimed even more lives than first reported, with the official death toll now set at 6,125, National Assembly Chief Jorge Rodríguez said.
The revised figure comes weeks after the powerful 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes hit on June 24, toppling nearly 200 buildings—most of them in the heavily battered coastal state of La Guaira, just north of Caracas.
Authorities had previously reported 5,546 deaths, while almost 17,000 people were injured in the shaking.
Rescue teams and volunteers search for bodies amid the rubble of a collapsed building in Caraballeda, Venezuela, on August 3
Since the disaster, rescue crews, volunteers and relatives have kept digging through shattered concrete and twisted metal, still hoping to find survivors beneath the debris.
Local media said La Guaira Governor José Alejandro Terán has reported that about 1,400 people remain missing.
The government has not issued an official figure for those unaccounted for, though some projections have placed the number as high as 10,000.
Beyond the 190 buildings destroyed, officials have labelled 6,433 structures as “high-risk” and designated another 9,866 as “restricted housing”—an attempt to flag the danger residents could face if they return.
Nearly 24,000 people across La Guaira and Caracas are now living in makeshift shelters in the aftermath of the quakes.
A member of the Civil Protection service stands amid the rubble of a collapsed multi-storey building in Caraballeda, Venezuela, on July 27
Against that backdrop, Venezuelan lawmakers last week unanimously passed legislation designed to make it easier for people to rent properties.
The measure, aimed at helping those displaced by the earthquakes, still requires enactment by interim leader Delcy Rodríguez before it takes effect.
“We are estimating around 400,000 homes that could benefit from this law,” said Mr Rodríguez.
Rodríguez has also pledged to deliver 4,000 homes to earthquake victims by the end of the year, with the Venezuelan Government projecting the total will rise above 10,000 in 2027.
