Twin earthquakes in Venezuela kill over 3,000 as public housing towers collapse

Jul 3, 2026

Twin earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 devastated northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, killing at least 3,342 people and injuring over 16,700. The disaster collapsed public housing towers in La Guaira, leaving thousands homeless and sparking public anger over shoddy construction. Survivors face a horrific ordeal at the Los Silos port facility, which has been converted into a makeshift morgue where families must scroll through digital images of decomposed bodies to identify their loved ones.

Twin earthquakes death toll

▪The United Nations reported that the Venezuelan government ordered 10,000 bags to store corpses as the death toll is expected to rise further.
▪The Venezuelan information ministry reported that the death toll from the earthquakes rose to 3,342, with over 16,700 people injured as of July 5, 2026.
▪Twin earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, less than a minute apart.

Victim identification challenges

▪Forensic specialists are utilizing dental records to help identify earthquake victims whose bodies have become difficult to recognize due to rapid decomposition.
▪Forensic technician Joel Mirabal estimated that 60% to 70% of recovered bodies have a relative or neighbor available to identify them.

Los Silos makeshift morgue

▪Armed personnel from the Bolivarian Armed Forces are controlling access to the Los Silos makeshift morgue facility in La Guaira.
▪The Los Silos port storage facility in La Guaira, Venezuela, has been transformed into a makeshift morgue to handle thousands of earthquake victims.

Family identification ordeals

▪Families at the Los Silos makeshift morgue are directed to view more than 1,000 images of bodies cycling across two television screens to identify their relatives.
▪Liliana González, a 60-year-old resident of Catia La Mar, identified her 37-year-old nephew by his tattoo from images displayed on screens at the makeshift morgue.

Body recovery delays

▪Rosa López and her daughter buried José Antonio Toledo at a local cemetery after a forensic doctor helped them locate his body in an open parking lot.
▪Jéssica Soto waited for two days at the Los Silos facility for paperwork to release the remains of her 15-year-old daughter and three-year-old granddaughter.