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Back-to-back quakes in northern Venezuela have killed more than 2,900 people, the latest ordeal for a country rocked by economic and political turmoil.
July 4, 2026
The possibility of finding more survivors has become increasingly remote, 10 days after two deadly earthquakes cut a path of destruction through northern Venezuela.
More than 2,900 people have died since the twin quakes struck on June 24, with about 16,600 others injured and about 16,300 people displaced, Venezuela’s information ministry reported on Saturday. More than 800 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, the ministry said.
Forensic workers and aid officials say the true number of dead is likely to be far higher, as thousands of bodies overwhelm a buckling forensic system. Two doctors at the main morgue in Caracas estimated the real toll was closer to 4,000. The United Nations is procuring 10,000 body bags.
As they claw through brick and concrete, rescuers fear they are running out of time to save survivors still in the rubble and to provide essential aid in a country where the medical system has been hollowed out by a decade-long economic depression.
Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.
Sources: U.S.G.S. (epicenter, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density).
All times on the map are Venezuela time.
William B. Davis and John Keefe/The New York Times
How big were the quakes?
Seismologists recorded the earthquakes’ epicenters in the Venezuelan state of Yaracuy, west of Caracas, the capital. Tremors were felt more than 100 miles away.
