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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain raised the number of Spanish citizens who died as a result of the double earthquake that devastated northern Venezuela on June 24 to 34 this Saturday, two more than the count from Friday, while 140 Spaniards remain missing and 11 are still trapped under the rubble.
The number of missing persons also decreased compared to the previous day, when the ministry reported 155 individuals unaccounted for.
Spanish authorities reiterated that the consular emergency lines remain active and can be consulted through the official profiles of both the Ministry and the Embassy in Caracas. They urged Spanish citizens in Venezuelan territory to make use of these resources.
The double earthquake—measuring magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, just 39 seconds apart—shook the north of Venezuela with its epicenter in Yaracuy state and caused unprecedented destruction in La Guaira state, the coastal area most affected, where 158 of the 189 buildings that experienced total collapse recorded across the country fell.
According to the latest official report from the Venezuelan government, the earthquakes resulted in at least 2,954 deaths. About 15,050 people lost their homes, and 86,117 families have received assistance.
Spain tops the list of countries with the highest number of confirmed foreign victims.
Portugal reported 53 deaths and at least 86 missing persons as of June 30; Colombia reported 24 citizens dead; Argentina, six; and Brazil, Chile, Italy, and Cuba also recorded fatalities and missing persons among their nationals.
Among the Cuban victims, a family of six members led by Yadina de la Caridad Yáñez Linares, a cycling instructor known as "Yadina la Cubana," was found dead on June 29 under the rubble in La Guaira, and at least 32 Cubans remain missing.
In parallel to the human tragedy, Spain deployed a field hospital from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) with surgical capacity and up to 20 beds, the operation of which was confirmed on Friday by Minister José Manuel Albares. Madrid also mobilized one million euros in emergency aid.
Rescue operations, involving around 3,000 personnel from 33 countries according to the UN, continue actively more than ten days after the earthquakes.
The most emblematic case was that of Hernán Gil, a 43-year-old Venezuelan rescued alive after eight days buried in Catia La Mar, in a 72-hour operation involving nearly 100 rescuers from ten countries. On Friday, a 70-year-old woman was rescued alive after nine days beneath the concrete.
This double earthquake is considered the worst recorded in Venezuela in over 100 years, and the UN estimates up to 50,000 missing and more than 6.76 million affected across the country.
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