Venezuela death toll from June 24 earthquakes rises to 2,595

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, said the death toll from the earthquakes that struck on June 24 has risen to 2,595, as per foreign media reports.

Speaking at a press conference at La Carlota air base in Caracas, Rodriguez outlined the impact of two powerful earthquakes that hit the country.

According to her, the quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck northern regions of the country, leaving 2,595 people dead and 12,400 injured. Search and rescue operations are being carried out with the participation of specialists from 33 countries.

Rodriguez added that 6,462 people have been pulled alive from the rubble since the disaster.

“Immediately after the earthquake, the Venezuelan state mobilised all its institutions. Within a few hours after the tremors, we first issued a decree aimed at addressing this emergency situation. The entire civil defence system and state protection mechanisms were immediately deployed to the disaster areas,” she said.

Responding to accusations that authorities had reacted too slowly, Rodriguez stated: “We immediately activated all state mechanisms. To make such accusations against a people who are experiencing pain and anxiety is baseness, shamelessness and irresponsibility. Let someone say that they were prevented from receiving assistance or reaching the disaster area. Let someone claim that there is no aid. Nothing of the sort is happening. Our main and primary task is saving human lives. We need search and rescue teams without any restrictions and without regard to any political considerations.”

Rodriguez also rejected claims that there was an absence of security forces and search and rescue units in the affected areas, describing such statements as deliberate black propaganda.

She recalled that the first official statement following the earthquakes was made by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who, immediately after the tremors, ordered the rapid deployment of law enforcement personnel and military units to the affected regions.

According to Rodriguez, Venezuela has been actively engaged in international diplomatic contacts following the two destructive earthquakes. In the first hours after the disaster, she received phone calls from heads of state and government from 72 countries.

Venezuelan media reported that the government said the number of people left homeless by the earthquakes has reached 12,841.

Earlier, on June 29, interim president Rodriguez pledged that all those affected and left without shelter would be provided with new housing by the end of the year.