Venezuela quake death toll jumps as another quake rattles the region
Another Earthquake rattles parts of Venezuela on Saturday. The 4.8 quake’s epicenter shook very near to Thursday’s quakes. Meanwhile, the death toll jumped to 1,432, with more than 3,500 injured on Saturday. Tens of thousands remain missing. Venezuelan authorities and international partners ramped up rescue and relief efforts as emergency crews worked around the clock.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said response teams continued to mobilize equipment and personnel to assist victims and search for survivors, emphasizing that all emergency units remained deployed in affected areas.
In a televised address, Rodríguez called the disaster “a painful situation” for the nation and urged unity as rescue efforts intensified. She said the priority remains locating people still alive beneath the rubble, with teams working nonstop during the critical first 72 hours after the quakes.
Authorities concentrated resources in hard-hit La Guaira state, where access has been restricted to reduce congestion and allow emergency operations to proceed. More than 14,000 military and police personnel have been deployed to maintain security and support rescue and recovery work.
-
Buildings damaged by the earthquakes stand three days after earthquakes struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) -
People whose homes were destroyed sleep at a sports complex serving as a shelter three days after earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) -
People search through donated clothing at a gymnasium serving as a shelter three days after earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) -
Houses damaged and burned by fires following the earthquakes stand in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, three days later, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) -
This aerial view shows collapsed buildings in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on June 27, 2026, following earthquakes that struck the region. Nearly 1,000 people have been killed and more than 50,000 remain missing after two consecutive earthquakes in Venezuela, where growing anger has been reported over the lack of official aid to swiftly rescue survivors. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images) -
CARACAS, VENEZUELA – JUNE 27: Volunteers classify donations in the collection center at Universidad Central de Venezuela after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 27, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the main earthquake was followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock less than a minute later. The number of victims increased to about 900, and around 3,000 injured. A web page created to find people has registered almost 50,000 missing people. (Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images) -
CARACAS, VENEZUELA – JUNE 27: Volunteers classify goods sent as donation in the collection center at Universidad Central de Venezuela after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 27, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the main earthquake was followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock less than a minute later. The number of victims increased to about 900, and around 3,000 injured. A web page created to find people has registered almost 50,000 missing people. (Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)
Rodríguez said basic services were gradually being restored, including partial recovery of electricity and expanded distribution of water and food. She added that shelters had been opened for people displaced by the destruction and that volunteers from across the country were joining the response.
The international response has expanded as the scale of the disaster became clearer. The United States deployed search-and-rescue teams, medical personnel and military support, including airlift operations using Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft to deliver aid.
Rodríguez said Venezuela had received assistance from multiple countries, with additional foreign rescue teams expected to arrive. International crews have joined local responders in coordinated operations using specialized equipment to locate people trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Round out your reading
- Not red or blue: America’s politically homeless middle.
- Peter Thiel’s ‘Dialog’ network was super-secret. A data leak changed that.
- The novel legal strategy that Taylor Swift and Matthew McConaughey are using to fight AI.
- Illinois balances budget with new $200 million social media tax that tracks in-state users.
- When Trump serves up ‘Just the News,’ it comes with a side of bias.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
