Venezuela earthquake death toll crosses 5,000 mark

The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 5,069, according to the latest daily situation report released on Saturday, July 18, by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez.

The official parliamentary update detailed extensive casualties and humanitarian fallout, confirming that 16,740 individuals sustained injuries, while 17,907 people have been left homeless. Structural assessments indicate that 190 buildings were completely levelled and an additional 856 sustained severe damage across the affected regions.

The disaster began on the evening of June 24 in the northwestern state of Yaracuy, where seismologists recorded two primary tremors measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude occurring just 40 seconds apart. The twin epicentres were located 10 kilometres from each other. The region has since been hit by 1,331 aftershocks, complicating recovery efforts and endangering compromised infrastructure.

In his statement, Rodríguez outlined the scale of the ongoing emergency response, noting that search and rescue teams have successfully extracted 6,462 survivors from debris. Medical facilities have treated 36,951 individuals to date.

Humanitarian aid operations have reached 128,324 families, with 21,235 displaced persons currently housed across 107 temporary encampments. Authorities have distributed 10,063 tons of emergency food supplies to the victims.

By Tamilla Hasanova