Twin Earthquakes Kill 3,342 in Venezuela, La Guaira Area Hit Hardest

Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, killing 3,342 people and injuring more than 16,700 as of Sunday night, according to the country's information ministry. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks collapsed scores of buildings and left thousands homeless, with the coastal La Guaira area north of Caracas hit hardest.

International rescue teams were wrapping up operations eleven days later while families continued searching wreckage for bodies.

Private companies donated large cooling containers to preserve remains at La Guaira seaport. Interim president Delcy Rodríguez stated there would be no social unrest following the earthquakes. She described "deep social solidarity" and said thousands of public officials and rescue teams had been deployed.

Rosa López said her 25-year-old son-in-law José Antonio Toledo died when the building where he worked as a security guard collapsed. His body was first taken to a local hospital without space, then moved to another facility and finally an open parking lot before a forensic doctor helped locate it on Saturday. At almost midnight that day the mayor's office offered a free burial space.

Forensic technician Joel Mirabal, who has worked seven days straight since the quakes, estimates that relatives or neighbors can identify bodies in 60 to 70 percent of cases, often relying on tattoos, scars or clothing. He anticipates forensic teams will spend up to three months collecting bodies.