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Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 2,200 as International Rescuers Race the Clock

Twin magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 have killed at least 2,295 people, with nearly 50,000 still unaccounted for one week later. More than 2,200 rescuers from 27 countries are on the ground as the U.S. pledges $300 million in aid and Mexico's Los Topos brigade alleges government interference in relief operations.

Published about 3 hours ago
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Mexico's legendary rescue brigade heads to Venezuela as earthquakes death toll tops 2,200

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Mexico's legendary rescue brigade heads to Venezuela as earthquakes death toll tops 2,200 (Oskaloosa)

unn

The number of earthquake victims in Venezuela exceeds 2,200 people

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Venezuela quake: Search goes on for survivors amid 'impossible odds'

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Mexico's legendary rescue brigade heads to Venezuela as earthquakes death toll tops 2,200 (AP/TheSpec)

Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 2,200 as International Rescuers Race the Clock
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One week in, tens of thousands still unaccounted for

Twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, striking within seconds of each other on June 24, have killed at least 2,295 people and injured another 11,267 across northern Venezuela, with nearly 50,000 still unaccounted for one week after the disasterabcnews +1. The hardest-hit areas stretch along the northern coast — particularly La Guaira state and the port city of Catia La Mar, where satellite mapping shows 31.5% of buildings have been damaged or destroyedun. Venezuela's top lawmaker, Jorge Rodriguez, confirmed the latest death toll Wednesday; the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator has called the estimate of 50,000 missing "terrifyingly plausible," though not all those unaccounted for are necessarily trappedun +1.

International rescue — and allegations of interference

More than 2,200 rescuers from 27 countries are now on the ground alongside Venezuelan civil protection teams, working with 140 search dogs to comb through collapsed structuresun. Mexico's legendary volunteer brigade, Los Topos Azteca — founded after Mexico City's 1985 earthquake and veterans of disasters from Haiti to Türkiye — arrived carrying specialized equipment and, pointedly, body bagsthespec. Their leader, Héctor Méndez, made headlines when he publicly alleged that Venezuelan government officials had attempted to pressure his team on where and how to operate, saying political interference had no place in a humanitarian emergencylatintimes. The International Rescue Committee warned that children are among the missing and that Venezuela's water system has failed in some areas, leaving survivors without guaranteed access to safe drinking waterabcnews.

U.S. pledges $300 million, deploys hundreds of personnel

The Trump administration — which ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January — announced a $300 million aid package, having already pledged $150 million within the first 24 hours of the disasterscrippsnews. More than 300 U.S. personnel are on the ground, including search-and-rescue teams from Los Angeles and Fairfax County, along with military and FEMA staffscrippsnews. Sam Vigersky, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former USAID disaster-response leader, told Scripps News the scale of the U.S. response is "historic" and reflects political pressure on the State Department to "show up for the Venezuelan people" after the Trump administration dismantled USAIDscrippsnews.

Scale of need dwarfs current resources

The UN estimates 1.8 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 680,000 children, while the International Organization for Migration warns that up to 6.76 million people — including two million in Caracas alone — could ultimately be affectedun. WFP has more than 3,000 metric tons of food in-country, enough to feed 10,000 families for two months, but notes that food insecurity was already a crisis for 80% of the Venezuelan population before the earthquakes struckun.