45 Days On — 6,125 Dead. Venezuela Cannot Be Forgotten.
August 8, 2026
Forty-five days after twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela on June 24, the confirmed death toll has risen to 6,125, with over 61,000 people hospitalised and tens of thousands still unaccounted for. The World Bank has now placed the physical damage from the disaster at nearly $20 billion — a staggering figure for a country that was already in economic freefall before the ground shook.
Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced the updated figures, as the government of interim President Delcy Rodríguez continues to face mounting criticism for shortcomings in its response to the disaster. Wikipedia
A reconstruction challenge unlike any other
The $20 billion World Bank damage estimate covers physical destruction alone — collapsed homes, schools, hospitals, roads, ports and water systems. Earlier estimates put the full reconstruction cost even higher, potentially exceeding $37 billion when economic losses and infrastructure rebuilding are included. That represents roughly 30% of Venezuela's entire GDP.
Despite pledges of support from countries around the world in the days following the earthquake, it remains unclear where reconstruction funds might come from. The United States has maintained a high degree of control over Venezuela since the detention of former President Nicolás Maduro in January, and some US economic sanctions from Maduro's tenure remain in place — complicating the flow of international reconstruction aid. Wikipedia
The long shadow of a broken government response
From the earliest days, Venezuela's government response was criticised as inadequate. Officials took selfies at collapse sites and left without helping. Aid was confiscated. Access to the hardest-hit areas was restricted to "authorised personnel." Wilmer Cruz — "El Topo de La Guaira" — crawled through rubble to save lives in 60+ rescue operations, then was arrested by the same government he was working alongside.
Families in La Guaira were told they must pay up to $3,000 per day to hire cranes to recover their loved ones' remains. Tens of thousands of people are still in temporary camps with no clear timeline for returning home.
María Corina Machado: "Venezuela needs all of us"
Venezuela's Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA on X) has repeatedly called on the international community not to abandon Venezuela. "I know how each one of you feels," she said. "Venezuela needs all of us."
Six weeks on, her words remain as urgent as ever. The cameras have gone. The need has not.
Please don't look away.
6,125 people are confirmed dead. Sixty-one thousand were hospitalised. Tens of thousands of families still don't know where their loved ones are. A country that had nothing left is being asked to rebuild everything.
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Venezuela still needs the world.
👉 https://www.savevenezuelanow.com
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