The ‌death toll ​from ⁠last week’s twin earthquakes ‌in Venezuela ‌has ‌risen ⁠to ⁠more than 1,700 people, ​top ‌lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said on ‌Monday (June 29, 2026).

More ​than 5,000 ⁠were wounded in ‌the disaster, and more ‌than 15,000 left ​homeless, Mr. Rodriguez added ⁠in an ⁠address on ‌state television.

Venezuela’s quake-hit La Guaira port ‘operational’: U.S. military

Venezuela’s La Guaira port is now “operational” after undergoing repairs and is being used to deliver aid to the earthquake-hit South American country, the U.S. military said on Monday (June 29, 2026).

The port — one of Venezuela’s two main ports — “is now operational, and the USS Fort Lauderdale is using the port to deliver critically needed supplies and equipment to Venezuela,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement, referring to a U.S. warship dispatched to assist with aid efforts.

Earlier on Monday (June 29), a senior U.S. administration official told journalists that a “specialized team of Marines” was “working around the clock” to repair the port.

The U.S. State Department also announced that Washington has pledged more than $300 million in funding to aid Venezuela, up from a previous commitment of $150 million.

“These funds will provide emergency medical care, food assistance, water and sanitation, shelter, protection, and logistics,” the State Department said in a statement.

The money is being directed through partner organisations including Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme and the Red Cross, the statement said.

Washington has also deployed four urban search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela that are made up of more than 300 first responders and almost two dozen search dogs, it added.

The U.S. assistance for Venezuela comes as ties between Washington and Caracas have warmed in recent months after American forces captured former president Nicolas Maduro in January and the Trump administration began working with an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez.

With inputs from Reuters, AFP

At least 32 people are dead and 700 injured after back-to-back powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening (June 24, 2026), Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said.

Addressing the nation early Thursday (June 25, 2026), Ms. Rodriguez said, “At this time, we have received reports of 32 deaths” and “more than 700 injured,” adding she did not yet have data on the “hardest-hit region” of La Guaira, located near the capital.

She warned the toll was expected to rise as rescuers searched collapsed buildings and emergency crews reached devastated areas after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes roiled the region.“Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are engaged in the arduous task of rescuing the lives that God allows us to save. The state of La Guaira is facing a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone,” she said.

Ms. Rodriguez earlier said 20 aftershocks had followed the twin earthquakes.

The earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck the same area of Venezuela on Wednesday (June 26, 2026), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), causing buildings in the capital to crumble and forcing the closure of the country’s main airport.

The first quake, with an epicenter 21 kilometers (13 miles) west of the coastal town of Moron, occurred at 2204 GMT, USGS said. Within a minute, a 7.5-magnitude quake struck about 45 kilometers away.