Twin quake deaths reach 2,954
The United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks.
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Daily TribuneThe United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks.
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RESCUE workers walk past a collapsed building cordoned off with tape reading 'Do not cross' in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela on 4 July 2026, following the 24 June twin earthquakes.
MARTIN BERNETTI/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes killed nearly 3,000, updated official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations for survivors in the rubble of the disaster.
Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the 24 June disaster that has left thousands homeless in the streets and sheltering in camps.
Tens of thousands more are still reported missing. The government has not given any estimates, but the United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks.
One of Latin America's worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital Caracas, where scores of residential complexes were flattened.
Ten days after the double shocks, which came just 38 seconds apart, rescue teams are starting to wrap up searches for survivors while families still try to recover bodies of loved ones from the wreckage.
The critical window for rescues in disasters like earthquakes usually ends after 72 hours, though a few people have been found alive this week.
In an apparent sign that rescue missions were closing up, interim President Delcy Rodriguez held a ceremony to hand out medals to international teams, including their rescue dogs.
Venezuela is experiencing "a profound grief gripping our people, where families still hold out hope of finding loved ones alive, people who have lost everything," Rodriguez said.
International disaster teams, including some US squads, and some South American teams were starting to finish up rescue operations, their members said on Saturday.
The Los Angeles County fire department rescue team is ending operations after its latest searches showed no signs of life, and teams from Florida and Virginia were packing up to leave this weekend, they said.
Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as their government's slow response to the disaster, saying families spent initial hours digging out loved ones themselves before international teams arrived.
Rodriguez has defended her government's response, saying thousands of troops and officials had been dispatched.
In La Guaira, workers with heavy machinery on Saturday were starting to knock down collapsed structures while in others, families were still trying to remove bodies of loved ones for funerals.
"We're still working, still searching for bodies. We're still going. It hasn't been easy," said Venezuelan volunteer Francisco Sasquia helping dig out a collapsed residence.
