Overview
- The series of magnitude-7-plus quakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, and have left official counts at about 1,450 dead with thousands injured and roughly 47,000 to 50,000 people registered as missing.
- International search-and-rescue teams have surged into the region and the United States helped restore the Simón Bolívar airport runway to speed aid and coordination.
- Rescue work is being slowed by persistent aftershocks, shortages of heavy equipment and damaged infrastructure, but teams continue operations and have pulled survivors from rubble more than 72 hours after the quakes, including an 11-year-old.
- Satellite analysis by the International Organization for Migration found extensive damage in coastal towns with about 31 percent of buildings harmed in Catia La Mar and broader estimates showing tens of thousands of damaged structures.
- The Venezuelan government says it has delivered 7,200 tons of food and deployed more than 14,000 security personnel, but survivors and some media have criticized the speed and capacity of the official response and displacement needs are rising.