Authorities are coordinating international aid and expanding rescue operations as the death toll reaches 2,595.
During a press conference on Thursday night, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez reviewed the actions taken in response to the earthquakes that struck on June 24.
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Currently, her administration is holding talks with the U.S. Department of State and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to recover resources that would allow the country to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank have also offered credit lines and non-repayable assistance to support the recovery process.
Meanwhile, Venezuela has received donations from oil companies including ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil of the United States, Reliance of India and Repsol of Spain.
#Venezuela | Acting President Delcy Rodriguez addressed questions about diplomatic and political relations with sectors in which no relations existed before the latest earthquakes.#VenezuelaEarthquake #WeStandWithVenezuela #VenezuelaIsNotAlone #teleSUREnglish pic.twitter.com/OZZrP3d6sI
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 3, 2026
Venezuelan State’s Response Was Immediate
Rodriguez said the institutional response to the twin earthquakes began just minutes after the disaster, with the activation of all emergency agencies and the creation of a high command to coordinate rescue operations and assistance for the population.
“We did not wait one day, two days or three days… The Venezuelan state was activated immediately to respond to the situation,” she said, reaffirming that the search for survivors remains a top priority more than eight days after the earthquakes.
“We have not ended the search-and-rescue phase. We remain in that process because we will not rest while a mother or father cries, or while a brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother or uncle suffers over a loved one.”
On June 24, following the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, Rodriguez ordered the immediate deployment of the civil protection system, mobilized rescue teams to the affected areas and appointed Maj. Gen. Juan Sulbaran as the sole authority to coordinate operations.
Initially, 4,000 civilian and military personnel were deployed for search-and-rescue operations. The following day, the number increased to 14,000, and more than 19,000 personnel are currently deployed in La Guaira state, which was declared a disaster zone just hours after the earthquakes.
On June 25, the Venezuelan acting president ordered the militarization of La Guaira to facilitate the work of search-and-rescue teams, restrict access by people not involved in rescue operations, and prevent interference with emergency efforts. The Venezuelan government coordinated with the private sector to clear access routes to the affected areas.
Shortly after the two earthquakes, Rodriguez asked Felipe Capozzolo, president of the Federation of Chambers and Associations of Commerce and Production of Venezuela (Fedecamaras), to make heavy machinery available to authorities to speed up debris removal and facilitate access for emergency crews.
While all of this was taking place, far-right activists launched a disinformation campaign on social media to promote chaotic actions in the affected areas.
Through coordinated messages such as “Everyone head to La Guaira,” bot farms sought to obstruct the work of rescuers, Rodriguez denounced.
From La Guaira, Belen de los Santos reports on the current situation today, July 2, 2026—8 days after the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela. Maria Eugenia Oropeza, a general surgeon from Caracas who is assisting at the CDI Elizabeth Perdomo in La Guaira, tells us about the… pic.twitter.com/EMRXlw0WUD
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 2, 2026
Thanks to 147 Countries and Bad Bunny
The Venezuelan Acting President said she received calls from 72 heads of state and told each of them that “our first objective is to save lives. We need rescuers, without objections and without political considerations.”
Rodriguez thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for their support.
In addition to thanking 147 countries for their solidarity, Rodriguez also expressed gratitude for messages of support from artists including Bad Bunny, who spoke about the tragedy in Venezuela during a concert in London.
“No matter where I am in the world, there’s always one flag I see very often, and that’s the Venezuelan flag,” the Puerto Rican artist said.
“Today more than ever, to our brothers and sisters in Venezuela, all Latinos around the world stand with you in solidarity. We send you a big hug and much strength. You are a very brave and strong country, and I know you will overcome this,” Bad Bunny said.
#WeStandWithVenezuela | Messages of hope and solidarity continue to arrive from around the world. Through *A Goal for Venezuela*, people from different countries are sending their support to the Venezuelan people and reminding them: *“Estamos con ustedes, Venezuela.”*
… pic.twitter.com/bYSAomFVEg
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 3, 2026
Rescue Operations Continue
Over the past week, search-and-rescue teams have rescued 13 people who had remained trapped beneath the rubble for days.
One of them was Hernan Gil, a 43-year-old man rescued after spending eight days beneath the rubble of a building in the Playa del Mar neighborhood. His rescue lasted more than 72 hours and involved at least 100 international rescuers. On Thursday, Rodriguez visited Gil at a hospital in Caracas, where he is receiving treatment for his recovery.
“Today I embraced a miracle: Hernan Gil. Seeing him alive reminded me that when solidarity, faith and commitment come together, hope always finds a way,” the Venezuelan acting president said.
“My deepest gratitude to the Red Cross of Costa Rica and Venezuela, to the brigades from Chile, the U. S., El Salvador, Mexico and Portugal, and to our rescuers, Civil Protection and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces. Thank you for making this reunion with life possible,” she added.
As of Thursday, in the town of Caraballeda, La Guaira state, a team of rescuers from El Salvador and Argentina was conducting an operation to save Fabio, a 9-year-old boy trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building.
His rescue operation began at 11 p.m. local time Wednesday in the ruins of the 12-story building where he remains trapped. Rescuers believe the boy is alongside a deceased person, possibly his mother.
At the press conference, Venezuelan Acting President confirmed that the June earthquakes left at least 2,595 people dead and 12,400 injured.
She also mentioned that rescue operations are continuing with the support of specialists from 33 countries. So far, 6,462 people have been rescued from the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the earthquakes.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: teleSUR – Presidential Press – EFE
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