Death Toll from Venezuela Earthquakes Likely to Rise Sharply

Two earthquakes—magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5—struck north-central Venezuela on June 24, killing at least 32. The confirmed count will climb as rescue teams reach collapsed buildings in La Guaira and Catia La Mar, where power and telecommunications failures have crippled emergency coordination. Older concrete-frame housing stock and dense coastal development compound the vulnerability. Casualty figures typically spike 48–72 hours after high-magnitude seismic sequences.