By Oluwakemi Kindness
The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 3,535, while 16,740 people have been injured, according to updated official figures released on Monday.
The powerful back-to-back earthquakes devastated La Guaira state, north of the capital, Caracas, flattening entire neighborhoods and leaving more than 17,000 people homeless.
Although the Venezuelan government has not released an official figure for those still missing, the United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people remain unaccounted for beneath the rubble.
Thousands of survivors are sheltering in temporary camps set up on streets, in public parks and car parks as relief efforts continue.
With hopes of finding more survivors fading, authorities have shifted focus to recovering bodies, burying the dead and clearing debris.
International search and rescue teams have also begun withdrawing from the country.
Families are continuing to search for missing relatives to give them proper burials.
On Sunday, authorities buried dozens of unidentified victims in a mass grave at La Esperanza Cemetery in La Guaira, where rows of white crosses marked individual graves, all bearing the date June 24, 2026.
