As the hours pass, and the presence of international rescue teams intensifies, the death toll from Venezuela’s two back-to-back earthquakes June 24 has increased and will continue to do so. As of now, 920 dead have been identified and 3,360 injured. A Venezuelan medical doctor told EIR that the deaths reported are only those that have been identified. So the work of search and rescue teams, many of them international, to find survivors or victims buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings has escalated over the past several hours. To date, 50,000 have been reported missing.
In the port city of La Guaira, which suffered some of the worst damage with over 100 collapsed buildings, the arrival of heavy equipment to assist in rescue efforts was welcomed as were the search and rescue teams, medical assistance and other specialized equipment that came from around the world. Due to years of U.S. economic sanctions which deepened the domestic financial crisis and accelerated the destruction of infrastructure, the country’s emergency response resources are said to be “stretched thin” and first responders “overwhelmed” and lacking necessary equipment, [according to National Public Radio.]( https://www.npr.org/2026/06/26/nx-s1-5870651/venezuela-earthquakes-caracas) Many hospitals were also damaged, but every Venezuelan medical professional available is deployed to hospitals.
