Death toll from Venezuela quakes rises to 3,535 as more than 17,000 left homeless

The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has risen to 3,535, with more than 16,700 injured in the disaster, according to updated official figures released on Monday.

The massive June 24 earthquakes flattened entire neighbourhoods in La Guaira state north of the capital Caracas, and thousands are still reported missing.

The government said 16,740 people were injured in the powerful back-to-back shocks and that more than 17,000 were left homeless.

The government has not given a figure for thosestill missing under mountains of rubble, but the UN estimates that as many as 50,000 people may still be unaccounted for.

Many of the survivors are living in temporary camps on the street, in public parks or car parks.

As focus shifts from rescuing survivors to burying the dead and clearing the debris, international rescue teams have begun leaving Venezuela.

But the UN ​said it was continuing to ramp up aid operations ​in coordination with the government in Caracas.

"Some search and rescue teams remain deployed in the affected areas, while ​other specialised engineering teams and medical support continue to arrive," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Monday.

Families meanwhile continue to search for their dead in the hope of giving them a dignified burial.

On Sunday, authorities began burying dozens of unidentified victims in a mass grave.

A line of simple white crosses with small bouquets at their foot marked a long row of individual graves in La Esperanza cemetery in La Guaira.

Each one had the same date of death: June 24, 2026.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)