Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Devastation Spreads

The twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week have caused widespread devastation, with the death toll surpassing 1,700 and preliminary satellite analysis suggesting tens of thousands of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. NASA estimates that approximately 58,870 buildings in the affected areas likely sustained damage or collapsed due to the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that hit the country on 24 June. The estimate is based on analysis of radar satellite imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite, conducted by Oregon State University researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek. The researchers cautioned that the findings represent a rapid assessment based on surface changes detected by satellite and have not yet been verified through field surveys. Meanwhile, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported that at least 855 buildings have been confirmed damaged, including 189 that collapsed completely. Search efforts are ongoing. As of Monday, the government recorded approximately 1,700 fatalities and 5,000 injuries. While no official figure for the missing has been released, various estimates suggest the number could reach tens of thousands. The United States has assisted in reopening the Port of La Guaira to allow humanitarian aid to flow, and US military personnel are helping restore operations at the damaged Simon Bolivar International Airport. According to the United Nations, 27 countries have deployed nearly 40 search and rescue teams, comprising more than 2,000 personnel and over 160 search dogs. Although the chances of finding survivors diminish after the critical 72-hour window, hope persists. A 21-year-old man was pulled alive from the rubble in the coastal town of Tanaguarena on Monday. In La Guaira, a port warehouse has been converted into a temporary morgue holding hundreds of unidentified body bags, as dozens of families wait outside for news of their relatives. Crematoriums in Caracas are operating almost continuously to manage the surge in fatalities, with between 60 and 70 funerals held daily over the weekend. Wilker Molalla is still awaiting news of his family buried under the debris. ‘There were 11 people in our house. Only two survived because we were at work when the earthquake struck,’ he said. Sergio Vergara recounted the harrowing experience of recovering the bodies of his niece and her family from a collapsed building in La Guaira. The United Nations estimates that 7 million people will be affected by the disaster, with economic losses projected at $6.7 billion, equivalent to roughly 6 per cent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product. Amid the recovery efforts, political tensions have flared. Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado accused the government of preventing her return from exile. In a statement on social media platform X, Machado claimed the government had closed Venezuela’s commercial airspace to stop her from returning to support the affected population. ‘I am ready and nearby. I will do whatever it takes to return and be with the Venezuelan people,’ she said. The main international airport in Maiqueta sustained damage from the earthquake and is currently only partially open for humanitarian flights. The government has yet to respond to Machado’s accusations. The earthquake struck roughly six months after former President Nicolas Maduro was arrested in a US military operation. Venezuela is now led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, as the country grapples with recovery from one of the worst natural disasters in more than a century.