Jorge Rodríguez, President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, announced on social media on July 9 that the two strong earthquakes that struck the country on June 24 have so far caused 3,889 deaths and 16,740 injuries. This is the latest official casualty figure released two weeks after the disaster, an increase of 204 confirmed deaths since the previous report.

According to official Venezuelan statistics, 6,462 people have been rescued, though the number of rescues has remained unchanged for five consecutive days. The earthquakes left 17,907 people homeless. Nationwide, 89 temporary camps have been set up, sheltering 16,891 people, while another 28,836 people are receiving medical treatment. Since the main shocks on June 24, the country has recorded 1,142 aftershocks.

The earthquakes struck on the evening of June 24, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurring about 40 seconds apart, with epicenters in Yaracuy state, only 10 kilometers apart. The hardest-hit area, La Guaira state, suffered catastrophic destruction. Previously, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, had revealed that nearly all officials in La Guaira state perished in the quakes. La Guaira has been declared a “disaster zone,” with large numbers of buildings collapsed or severely damaged.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, with 30,076 emergency personnel, 29,344 volunteers, and 3,931 foreign rescue workers participating in post-disaster rescue and recovery operations. The United Nations estimates that 1.3 million people will need humanitarian assistance over the next six months. The UN is striving to raise approximately $300 million in reconstruction funds for Venezuela.

International aid has continued to arrive. The Chinese government provided emergency humanitarian cash assistance immediately after the quake and later added an additional 100 million yuan in emergency无偿 aid. On the evening of July 5, the first shipment of 80 tons of relief supplies departed from Beijing, including 20 generators, 8 water purification vehicles, 200 disinfection units, more than 1,700 tents, and over 6,700 blankets. The Red Cross Society of China also provided $300,000 in emergency cash assistance to the Venezuelan Red Cross.

However, the health situation in the disaster areas remains dire. The Pan American Health Organization had previously warned that overcrowding in shelters, lack of clean water, and interrupted medical services could lead to outbreaks of diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections, and other illnesses. As search and rescue operations gradually transition to reconstruction, how to prevent secondary disasters and the spread of epidemics poses a major challenge for the Venezuelan government.