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The official balance from the Venezuelan Government raised the death toll this Wednesday to 3,811 from the earthquakes that shook the country two weeks ago, while the number of injured remained at 16,740, as reported by the EFE agency.
The earthquakes that occurred on June 24 with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in the states of Carabobo and Yaracuy are the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Since then, the official death toll has continued to rise: it started at 32 fatalities on June 25 and has steadily climbed to 3,811 recorded this Wednesday.
The official report also records 6,462 people rescued alive, 17,907 without housing, and 86,794 families assisted in camps and shelters.
Regarding structural damage, the document counts 190 collapsed buildings and 856 affected, in addition to 1,102 aftershocks recorded since the initial double seismic event.
The emergency response mobilized 30,076 personnel and 28,992 volunteers, in addition to 4,388 international rescuers from 31 countries.
In terms of humanitarian assistance, 9,603 tons of food and over 9.6 million liters of water were distributed, with 87 temporary camps established for the affected individuals.
The tragedy has a significant international dimension. Spain confirmed at least 34 deceased and 140 missing among its nationals; Portugal reported 53 dead and 86 missing; Colombia, 24 deceased; and Argentina, six.
Among the victims are also Cuban citizens: on June 29, a family of six was found dead under the rubble of the Oasis Beach and Resjurel buildings in Playa Grande, and at least 20 Cubans living in the coastal area were reported missing.
One of the most symbolic rescues was that of the guard Hernán Gil, 43 years old, who was pulled out alive on July 2 after being trapped for 184 hours under the rubble of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in Catia La Mar, La Guaira.
"I didn't even have a crushed nail," Gil stated after his rescue, coordinated by the Chilean Fire Department with the support of about 100 specialists from 10 countries.
However, a deep gap persists between official data and international estimates. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that there could be up to 50,000 missing after the earthquakes, a figure that Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher described as "horrifyingly plausible."
The USGS issued a Red Alert and estimated a 42% probability that the total number of fatalities could range between 10,000 and 100,000 people.
The regime of Nicolás Maduro, represented by the acting president Delcy Rodríguez, has refused to publish estimates on the missing, which has led to increasing distrust among international organizations and the families of the victims themselves.
The citizen platform "Encuéntralos" recorded 71,203 individuals unaccounted for as of June 29, a figure significantly higher than any officially recognized data to date.
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