Venezuela Earthquake Toll Rises to 3,535 Fatalities, Thousands Injured and Displaced

The death toll from a powerful double earthquake in Venezuela has climbed to 3,535, with authorities reporting 16,740 injuries and 17,854 people displaced. The twin tremors, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, caused widespread building collapses in Caracas and devastated the neighboring state of La Guaira. Residents in La Guaira are still attempting to recover loved ones buried under rubble, facing increasingly difficult conditions. Over 150 unidentified bodies were buried in individual graves on Sunday, June 5th, in a cemetery in Venezuela. Official figures released on Sunday indicated at least 3,342 deaths and 16,740 injuries. In Catia La Mar, La Guaira, workers used heavy machinery to dig trenches for the unidentified victims at the La Esperanza cemetery. Local resident Eli Zavala stated that graves were dug the day after the earthquakes to provide dignified burials. The burial sites are numbered and coded for potential identification by families, with authorities photographing each corpse before interment. Each grave features a small bouquet of flowers, a white cross, and a plaque reading "Special Identification" and the date of death, June 24, 2026. The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed morgues and hospitals, necessitating the use of a makeshift body storage facility in the port of La Guaira. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez addressed the nation on Venezuela's Independence Day, marked by a half-mast flag, assuring that deep social solidarity, not social unrest, would prevail despite affected citizens' complaints. Many residents in the earthquake-stricken regions have voiced their frustration with the government's response. Amidst funeral masses and planned candlelight vigils, a mother named Zuly continues her search in a plaza near a destroyed bakery for her 23-year-old son, who worked there, vowing not to leave without him.