Experts warn that a looming health emergency is unfolding, as thousands of displaced individuals are forced to sleep in densely packed temporary shelters.
Published On 7 Jul 2026
The death toll from last week’s earthquakes has risen above 3,500, with nearly 18,000 people left without shelter.
According to lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez, the latest count reports 16,740 injuries and 17,854 people rendered homeless. At least 12,800 individuals are currently housed in 80 shelters spread across Caracas and La Guaira, the coastal areas most heavily impacted.
![A drone view of coffins on the day of the burial of earthquake victims, in the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes, at La Esperanza Cemetery, in La Guaira, Venezuela [Adriano Machado/Reuters]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==)
The twin quakes on June 24 measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 and struck almost simultaneously near Caracas and La Guaira.
Estimates suggest that roughly 60,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed.
Experts caution that a widening health crisis is emerging, as tens of thousands of displaced Venezuelans are forced to sleep in overcrowded shelters or outdoors without access to clean water, leaving many with untreated injuries and infectious diseases while the nation’s healthcare system strains.
“We anticipate a surge in infections among those who have endured the disaster longest,” said Eugenio Cova, head of the trauma unit at Hospital José Gregorio Hernández in Caracas, speaking last week.
“We have already experienced a phase of complex trauma that persists, but it is now compounded by infectious complications,” Cova added.
Reports of health concerns are increasing.
“A high number of cases involving diarrhoea and other illnesses have been reported among the population,” noted Al Jazeera correspondent Teresa Bo, reporting from a La Guaira shelter last week.
“People are requesting portable toilets and assistance from authorities to reorganise the space, aiming to curb overcrowding and limit disease transmission,” Bo said.
Growing frustration with governmental rescue and recovery measures has prompted ordinary citizens to assume responsibility for locating survivors and delivering aid.
Carolina Jiménez, president of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a research and advocacy organization, told Al Jazeera that public anger toward the state is escalating.
“In any other nation, the state would be the primary responder,” she remarked recently. “In Venezuela, however, the state ranks as the last responder.”
In locales such as Catia la Mar, situated north of Caracas, government support has yet to materialise or remains insufficient.
“Responses have emanated from citizens, civil society, humanitarian workers, and volunteers, rather than from official authorities,” Jiménez asserted.