CARACAS — The official death toll from Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes has climbed past 5,500, one month after the disaster, as authorities continued recovery operations and assessed the scale of reconstruction following the country's deadliest seismic event in more than a century.
The latest official figures show more than 5,500 people have died and about 16,700 have been injured since the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24, only seconds apart. Thousands of people remain displaced, while officials have not issued an updated count of those still missing.
The earthquakes caused widespread destruction across Caracas, La Guaira and surrounding areas, collapsing residential buildings, damaging roads, bridges and public infrastructure, and leaving thousands without permanent housing. Search and recovery crews have continued clearing debris in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, where additional victims have been recovered in recent weeks.
The World Bank estimated last week that the earthquakes caused about $19.6 billion in direct physical damage, with reconstruction costs potentially reaching as much as $50 billion once rebuilding and resilience improvements are included. Residential buildings accounted for nearly half of the direct damage, according to the assessment.
Authorities have said emergency shelters continue to house thousands of displaced residents while recovery operations remain underway. Government officials have previously reported that more than 100 temporary shelters were established to support affected families as aid distribution and infrastructure repairs continue.
International organizations have warned that the disaster struck amid longstanding economic challenges, increasing the difficulty of recovery. The World Bank said Venezuela's reconstruction will require substantial domestic and international investment to restore damaged infrastructure and support economic recovery.
The June 24 earthquakes, described by seismologists as a rare seismic doublet because two major earthquakes occurred within seconds of each other, rank among the country's most destructive natural disasters in modern history. Earlier official updates had placed the death toll at about 5,000 before continued recovery efforts led to further increases as additional bodies were identified.
Officials said recovery, debris removal and damage assessments remain ongoing, with reconstruction expected to take years as authorities and international partners continue evaluating the country's humanitarian and infrastructure needs.
