Earthquake in Venezuela: death toll rises to 1,719

New earthquake of magnitude 4.6 is registered in Venezuela
The number of deaths from the double earthquake that hit Venezuela rose to 1,719, according to a report released at 3pm this Monday (29) by the Venezuelan government.
The number of injured is 5,034 and there are 15,866 people outside their homes. The government also says that 22,619 people received treatment in hospitals for injuries. The balance is provisional and these numbers tend to increase.
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➡ On Wednesday night (24), two earthquakes in a row hit the northern region of the country, where Caracas is located. In addition to the deaths, the tremors collapsed buildings and left a trail of destruction in the Venezuelan capital and surrounding areas. The earthquakes were the strongest in the country in more than 100 years.
A projection by the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that more than 6 million people may have been affected by the tremors.
The entity also estimates that 50,000 people may be missing in total.
The worst-hit places are on the coast of the eastern portion of the country, with La Guaira being the city that suffered the most damage. The disaster region also includes Caracas and Maiquetía, where Simón Bolívar International Airport is located, the country's main gateway, which remains closed until further notice. Other international airports, such as Valencia, have reopened.
New tremor is felt in Venezuela
Earlier, Venezuela recorded another earthquake, five days after the double earthquake.
According to information from the United States Geological Survey, the magnitude was 4.6 and the epicenter was in Caraballeda, on the north coast of the country, about 30 km from the capital, Caracas, at 7 am local time - 8 am in Brasília.
"It was very strong," Ismael Díaz, a resident of La Guaira, told the AFP news agency.
The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, brother of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, stated:
"No damage was reported immediately as a result of the aftershock in Venezuela."
On Friday (26), a third earthquake had already occurred, with a magnitude similar to that of this Monday, much smaller than that of the first two. On Sunday morning (28), earthquakes of magnitude 4.2 and 4.5 were also recorded.
Chances of finding survivors dwindle
The new quake comes as local and international rescue teams race against time to pull survivors from the rubble in Venezuela.
Even as the chances of finding survivors decrease by the hour, rescue teams are still able to find people alive in mountains of rubble, offering distressed families a brief breath of hope.
The first 48 to 72 hours after a natural disaster are crucial to rescue efforts, and experts believe that after the deadline the task essentially turns into recovering bodies. Even so, rescuers saved 33 survivors on Sunday, according to the government.
The operations are complex and require manual work and have been made difficult by the heat, according to reports from rescuers. Those closely following the rescue efforts say that the smell of decomposing bodies is increasingly intense.
Rescue teams search for survivors amid the rubble of buildings in La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 28, 2026.
Miguel Medina/Pool/AFP
Even though the chances of finding survivors were slim this Monday and amid growing frustration among the population with the government's response, volunteers continued to incessant work amid the rubble.
"Everyone says there is no one left, but we are still here. Let's see if we can still get anyone else out," Eduardo Cardozo, a rural worker who traveled to help as a volunteer in rescue work in Tucacas, on the coast, almost 200 km east of Caracas, told AFP news agency.
In La Guaira, international rescue missions arrived en masse on Sunday. In previous days, residents had expressed frustration and outrage at the inefficiency of the country's responses to the disaster, which ended up being led by civilians.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez called for the continuation of operations and announced plans to assist people who lost their homes due to the numerous collapses. More than 770 buildings partially or completely collapsed, including residential buildings, commercial buildings and dozens of hospitals.
The risk of further damage remains as aftershocks continue to hit the country.
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Source: G1