Emergency responders use an excavator to clear debris from buildings damaged by the June 24 earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 9, 2026. Photo: Ronald Peña R/EFE.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez released the latest weekly bulletin of the Venezuela Renace (“Venezuela reborn”) plan on Monday, August 17, reporting that the death toll from the catastrophic June 24 earthquakes had risen to 6,438.
The bulletin stated that 6,462 people were rescued following the disaster, and 86,358 people have received hospital treatment.
The new death toll represents an increase of 313 from the 6,125 deaths reported in the previous bulletin. The number of people treated in hospitals rose from 60,992 to 86,358, while the reported number of rescued people remained unchanged.
ATENCIÓN: pic.twitter.com/ES3ZTxuQiJ
— Jorge Rodríguez (@jorgerpsuv) August 17, 2026
The August 17 bulletin did not provide an updated figure for missing people. On July 30, La Guaira Governor José Alejandro Terán reported that 1,338 people remained missing in the state based on information submitted by families through the Unique Housing Registry. Authorities were cross-referencing those reports with information received through private telephone lines and assistance centers.
Housing evaluations and reconstruction advance
According to the latest bulletin, Venezuelan authorities have delivered 335 homes to families affected by the earthquakes and evaluated 59,109 affected homes.
Of the evaluated properties, 34,680 were classified as habitable, 13,733 were placed under restricted-use status, and 10,696 were classified as high-risk structures.
The Venezuela Renace plan also reported that 528,222.30 tons of debris had been collected by Monday, equivalent to 25.1% of the projected total. The previous weekly bulletin had placed the figure at 346,755 tons, or 16.5%, indicating a significant acceleration of removal operations.
Cabello rejects claims of far-right smear campaign
On Wednesday night, United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Secretary General Diosdado Cabello reported that the Venezuelan government had already removed more than 600,000 tons of debris in La Guaira.
“To date, the Bolivarian government has managed to collect more than 600,000 tons of rubble in La Guaira following the two earthquakes that occurred in the country on June 24,” Cabello said during the television program Con el Mazo Dando.
He emphasized that emergency and reconstruction operations have continued despite media campaigns promoted by the extremist opposition against the national government.
“They said the debris was being dumped into the sea, a major campaign intended to prevent the state from moving, from doing anything,” Cabello said. “They are looking for a way to blackmail us so that they can later claim that nothing was collected.”
Cabello’s remarks referred to accusations circulated by far-right politicians and media outlets attempting to besmirch the government’s emergency response. La Guaira authorities previously explained that debris deposited by private operators along a coastal area was not being dumped into the sea.
US machinery arrives under temporary loan
In another development related to debris removal and processing, Venezuelan First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Oliver Blanco supervised the unloading of 20 pieces of high-tech heavy machinery at the Port of La Guaira on Wednesday.
The equipment was provided on loan by the US Department of State and will be incorporated into the Venezuelan government’s operational deployments to accelerate the removal of debris in what Blanco described as a “dignified, responsible, and safe” manner. Blanco reported that more than 650 work fronts have been activated and 11,000 workers have participated in the operation.
Blanco said that the new machinery would increase operational capacity and significantly reduce response times in the hardest-hit communities.
The machinery constitutes a temporary loan rather than a donation. Its arrival does not erase the profound condemnation of US imperialism among Venezuelans, particularly following Washington’s January 3 bombing of Venezuela, abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady and National Assembly Deputy Cilia Flores, and killing of more than 100 people.
Quake of 4.0 Magnitude Jolts La Guaira; Caracas Reports Minor Damage
Nevertheless, many Venezuelans acknowledged that the machinery can provide practical support to recovery operations in the areas most severely affected by the earthquakes. The equipment will operate under the national reconstruction program and alongside the thousands of Venezuelan workers already deployed in the disaster zone under a highly efficient emergency response.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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