Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 3,000, Focus Shifts To Burial Arrangements

CATIA LA MAR: The death toll from the twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela has risen to at least 3,342 people as of Sunday.

Authorities have reportedly begun burying dozens of bodies that have yet to be identified, 11 days after the disaster struck.

The tragedy of two powerful tremors that occurred on 24 June has been categorised as among the worst earthquake disasters in Latin America, collapsing dozens of buildings along the coastal area of La Guaira, north of Caracas, and leaving thousands more residents missing.

International rescue teams have also reportedly begun packing up their equipment and ending operations to search for survivors, with focus now shifting entirely to mourning ceremonies and managing the remains of bodies recovered by family members from the rubble.

An AFP reporter reported that in a remote area of the La Esperanza cemetery in La Guaira, a group of gravediggers were seen burying more than 150 unidentified bodies since the earthquake struck.

Rows of simple white crosses with small bouquets of flowers at their bases marked long lines of individual graves, each bearing the same date of death, 24 June 2026, while two excavators continued to work hard digging more graves.

“We are deeply overwhelmed with grief. We have been here since 25 June, a day after the disaster, to carry out all this work… so that all the victims can be buried with proper honour,” said local resident Eli Zavala, who was assisting with the burial process.

Based on official data updated on Sunday, at least 3,342 people have been confirmed dead while 16,700 others have been injured.

With nearly 200 buildings completely collapsed, mostly in La Guaira, more than 17,000 residents are now homeless and forced to spend the night in shelters and temporary tent camps.

The government has yet to release any official figures on the number of missing persons, but the United Nations (UN) estimates that up to 50,000 people may still be unaccounted for following the disaster.

Currently, most family members remain unwilling to give up hope and continue to dig through the rubble in search of their loved ones.

“I have forgotten what day it is now. You can become unsettled, but I will not leave this place because I know he is down there,” said a mother, Zuly, who was searching for her son in the Catia la Mar district.

She now sleeps in a plaza near her son’s workplace and said: “I have found his motorcycle and helmet. He is there, God willing, he is still alive. If not, at least I can find him and see him. I will not leave this place without my son,” she said.

Even before being struck by the earthquake, Venezuela was already grappling with a severe economic crisis and political turmoil, which had left the country’s infrastructure and healthcare services in extremely poor condition.

The UN estimates that this earthquake disaster has caused damage worth US$6.7 billion (approximately RM27.3 billion), equivalent to a significant portion of Venezuela’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In fact, the international airport that serves as the main gateway to Caracas remains closed to all commercial flights due to structural damage.

Immediately after the earthquake struck, many Venezuelans voiced their frustration, claiming they were left alone to dig through the rubble for family members, while also criticising the government’s delayed response until international aid teams arrived.

However, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez defended the government’s actions, insisting that thousands of civil servants and rescue teams had been deployed to the affected areas from the very beginning.

She also dismissed concerns about the possibility of chaos or domestic tension following the disaster.

“There will be no social unrest here. What we are witnessing now is a profound spirit of social solidarity,” she said during a military ceremony in conjunction with the country’s Independence Day celebration on Sunday.

Around Caracas and La Guaira, people chose to gather in churches to hold religious ceremonies in memory of the victims and those still missing.

Meanwhile, at the Central University of Venezuela campus in Caracas, dozens of residents gathered around a large Venezuelan flag surrounded by candles to hold a memorial event for the victims.

“I have met couples who lost both their children, or two out of three of their children. It is something very painful to bear.

“We try to provide moral support as best we can because we want to be close to those who are suffering. You can clearly see the deep sadness and despair on their faces,” Father Rafael Troconis told AFP in La Guaira.

Berita Harian