Foreign
Venezuela Quake Death Toll Rises To 2,954 — Official Figures
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Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes have killed nearly 3,000, official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations for survivors in the rubble.
Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the June 24 disaster that left thousands homeless in the streets and shelter camps.
Tens of thousands more are still missing.
One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital Caracas, where scores of residential complexes were flattened.
Ten days after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude double shocks, rescue teams are starting to wrap up searches for survivors while families still try to recover bodies of loved ones from the rubble.
The critical window for rescues in disasters like earthquakes usually ends after 72 hours, though a few people have been found alive this week.
In an apparent sign that rescue missions were closing up, interim President Delcy Rodriquez held a ceremony to hand out medals to international teams, including some to their dogs.
Venezuela is experiencing “a profound grief gripping our people, where families still hold out hope of finding loved ones alive, people who have lost everything,” Rodriquez said.
International disaster teams, including some US squads, and some South American teams were starting to finish up rescue operations, their members said on Saturday.
The Los Angeles County fire department rescue team is closing up its operations after latest searches showed no signs of life, and teams from Florida and Virginia were packing up to leave this weekend, their teams said.
Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as their government’s slow response to the disaster, saying families spent initial hours digging out loved ones themselves before international teams arrived.
Rodriguez has defended her government’s response, saying thousands of troops and officials had been dispatched.
In La Guaira, workers with heavy machinery on Saturday were starting to knock down collapsed structures while in others families were still trying to remove bodies of loved ones for funerals.
“We’re still working, still searching for bodies. We’re still going. It hasn’t been easy,” said Venezuelan volunteer Francisco Sasquia helping dig out a collapsed residence.
“We found two bodies that have already been released to their families.”
Many are now homeless; more than 16,000 Venezuelans have lost their residences in the quakes. Hospitals are stretched, with experts warning of the risk of disease outbreaks.
For Víctor Colivert, the most important thing is staying by the side of his nephew’s body, recovered from a building’s wreckage and now in a black body bag.
He fears losing it in the chaos. His family prevented forensic workers from taking the body away.
“If I have to go to China, to wherever, but I’m not leaving him alone,” he said. “I’m going with him.”
Meanwhile, with little hope of finding loved ones alive, frustrated families of those affected by Venezuela’s double earthquakes clamoured for help to recover their loved ones’ bodies Friday as uncertainty grew over the death toll from the tragedy.
Authorities on Friday reported a total of 2,645 deaths and more than 12,000 wounded from the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck the country last week, with most fatalities in the coastal town of La Guaira, where scores of residential complexes were flattened.
Officials have avoided estimating the number of missing, though the UN has put that figure at as many as 50,000.
Many survivors who were left homeless, meanwhile, are sleeping in the streets or in makeshift shelters set up in parks and public spaces.
Nine days after one of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters, rescue teams were beginning to wind down search operations for survivors, although many relatives still clung desperately to any sound from the rubble as a sign of life.
In front of the Tahiti building in the Caraballeda sector of La Guaira, one rescuer reported hearing shouts from an adult in the early morning hours on Friday.
Reports also emerged that a 9-year-old boy had been found alive, but foreign rescuers told AFP there was no trace of any survivors.
Outside Tahiti, frustrations boiled over as families trying to recover bodies shouted at others wanting to clear the way for a potential rescue.
“Until I recover the bodies, I won’t be at peace,” said Jose Francisco Liendo, who was trying to dig out the remains of his father and sister.
“Don’t let the machines come and take them away like garbage.”
Stabilizing presence
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has suggested there is still a possibility of finding survivors, but after nine days, that scenario is remote.
The critical window for rescues in such disasters usually closes after 72 hours, though a few people have miraculously been found alive this week.
Rodriguez assumed interim power after the capture of Nicolas Maduro in a US military operation six months ago.
The government’s response to the tragedy has been the target of harsh criticism from many in La Guaira, who denounced the absence of rescuers until the arrival of international brigades.
Many residents in La Guaira said neighbours, family members, and volunteers were the first to remove rubble and search for people by hand.
AFP witnessed one volunteer urging soldiers to put down their rifles and help with the rubble removal. Rodriguez has defended the official response and denounced the backlash as media manipulation.
“Anyone who wants to audit the reality is welcome,” she said in her first formal press conference as president on Thursday.
The interim president currently has the support of US President Donald Trump’s administration. The United States is helping coordinate international rescue efforts in Venezuela.
But exiled opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who wants to return to the country, criticized the government response.
“The total absence of the state has become evident; the country needs figures it can trust,” she told correspondents in Venezuela via Zoom, arguing she would be a stabilizing presence there.
‘Dead inside’
Rodriguez has ruled out the possibility of the dead ending up in mass graves and ordered their proper identification.
A makeshift morgue is operating outdoors in the port of La Guaira, where long lines formed to receive the bodies of loved ones and their death certificates.
La Guaira State Governor Jose Alejandro Teran told AFP that more than 170 buildings had been completed destroyed and more than 700 damaged by the earthquakes.
Authorities were supplying between 40 to 50 tons of humanitarian aid a day to those staying in temporary camps, he said.
But many families are denouncing a lack of support and heavy machinery needed in the recovery of bodies from collapsed buildings.
“They tell us no, that they’re looking for the living, but what about the dead? Aren’t they human beings too?” said Dalimer Diaz, 43.
“Nobody wants to remove the dead; we have to retrieve the bodies ourselves. We need machinery to help us.”
Soldiers later arrived at the Tahiti building where residents had been arguing. A Spanish brigade also came with a crane to begin removing rubble.
Aloa Gonzalez was waiting for her sister’s body, buried under blocks and concrete.
“I just came from burying my father and mother, and I came here to rescue my sister,” she said.
“How do I feel? Dead inside,” she said. “I can’t believe it. I don’t want to stop because I don’t want to face the reality of what’s happening.”
AFP
A senior Iranian military commander has threatened that one US soldier would be killed for every Iranian citizen killed in US attacks, marking a sharp escalation in rhetoric as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to intensify.
Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, said on Friday that what he described as a principle previously demonstrated on the battlefield would now become an official equation governing Iran’s response.
According to Abdollahi, any US attack resulting in the death of an Iranian citizen would trigger a direct response against American forces.
“For every martyr from the proud people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, one American force will be eliminated,” he said.
He concluded his message with a strongly worded warning directed at US forces, saying they had been issued what he described as “a one-way ticket to hell.”
The remarks come as military tensions between Tehran and Washington continue across the region, with both sides exchanging threats amid the ongoing conflict.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would not accept a temporary ceasefire under any circumstances unless its demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz are met.
Araghchi said the current dispute with Washington is not the result of a lack of mediators, noting that Pakistan and Qatar continue to play mediation roles. Instead, he argued that the core issue lies in US policies, which he said must change.
Responding to a question about discussions with counterparts from Russia, China, Ukraine, and Pakistan, Araghchi said Iran maintains continuous and organized consultations with Moscow and Beijing and engages in dialogue whenever opportunities arise.
He added that recent meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov provided an opportunity to discuss the conflict in greater detail.
Regarding Pakistan, Araghchi said it was natural to discuss mediation initiatives and proposals with Islamabad but reiterated that the fundamental problem between Tehran and Washington is not the absence of mediators but US policy.
Araghchi also stressed that Iran would not yield to what he described as American pressure or intimidation.
“Iran has shown that it will not bow to US coercion. We do not respond to the language of force, pressure, or threats. We are not afraid of threats, we do not submit to pressure, and we do not accept the language of intimidation,” he said.
He reaffirmed that protecting the Iranian people and safeguarding Iran’s interests in the Strait of Hormuz remain fundamental and non-negotiable principles for Tehran, adding that Iran would maintain its current position until what he described as the legitimate demands of the Iranian people are achieved.
Cameroon is facing renewed political debate as President Paul Biya remains outside the country for 48 days, raising concerns among opposition leaders and many citizens over delays in government decisions and the country’s leadership.
Biya, 93, who has ruled Cameroon for more than four decades and is the world’s oldest serving head of state, left the country on June 7 for what officials described as a brief private visit to Europe with his wife, Chantal Biya.
Since then, he has remained in Switzerland, where he has frequently travelled over the years.
His prolonged stay has again led to rumours about his health. Earlier reports claimed he had been admitted to a clinic in Geneva, but Cameroon’s Communication Minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, denied the reports on June 18, insisting that the president had not been hospitalised.
Despite the government’s assurance, opposition parties say Biya’s continued absence has left the country without active leadership.
Mamadou Mota, vice-president of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), said the situation reflects a clear gap in the country’s institutions.
The leader of the Cameroon Democratic Union (UDC), Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, also called on the government to create a clear legal process for determining when a president is temporarily or permanently unable to carry out official duties.
The ruling party has rejected claims that the country lacks leadership. Higher Education Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo said President Biya remains fully involved in government work and continues to receive and review official documents wherever he is staying.
This is not the first time Biya’s absence has attracted public attention. In late 2024, he also spent about 50 days outside Cameroon, leading to similar concerns.
The opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) described the country as operating without active direction, saying government activities appear to be continuing without proper leadership.
Many Cameroonians have also expressed frustration over the slow pace of government decisions. Viviane Ondoua Biwole, a public management professor at the University of Yaounde, said many people are tired of waiting for changes. She noted that the current government has remained in office for eight years, while many citizens expected a cabinet reshuffle after the last election.
Biya secured an eighth presidential term in the October election, but the result sparked protests across the country. Security forces moved against demonstrators, and the government later confirmed that several dozen people died during the unrest, although it did not release a full casualty figure. Opposition parties rejected the election outcome, while several Western embassies reacted with caution.
In his New Year’s address on December 31, Biya promised to appoint a new government in the coming days. More than seven months later, no new cabinet has been announced.
At the same time, municipal and parliamentary elections have been postponed several times, allowing current office holders to remain in their positions beyond their expected terms.
Although Cameroon has introduced some constitutional and institutional changes, including replacing the heads of both chambers of parliament in March and creating the office of vice-president through constitutional reforms in May, no one has yet been appointed to fill the new position.
The uncertainty has also encouraged the spread of false information. In June, fake documents made to resemble an official presidential decree were sent to a state-owned radio station in the capital, claiming that a vice-president had been appointed. Journalists verified that the documents were not genuine and refused to broadcast the claim.
As questions continue over who could eventually succeed Biya, political observers say there are reports of disagreements among people close to the president.
According to political analyst Stephane Akoa, different groups within Biya’s inner circle are competing for influence, while First Lady Chantal Biya is becoming more involved in government matters and is increasingly mentioned in discussions about appointments and key decisions.
Under Cameroon’s constitution, if the presidency becomes vacant and no vice-president has been appointed, Senate President Aboubakary Abdoulaye would take over temporarily until a new presidential election is held.
A United States’ court on Wednesday fixed June 2027 for the trial of ousted Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Recall that the US military captured the duo in a stunning nighttime raid in January 2026.
Both have been held in a Brooklyn jail for over seven months after pleading not guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.
Recall that American commandos arrested the couple from their compound in Caracas on January 3.
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The lightning operation combined naval, air and ground forces, deposing the strongman who had led Venezuela since 2013.
During the 20-minute hearing on Wednesday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein set the trial date for June 1 next year following a joint request from prosecutors and defense counsel.
Meanwhile, protesters with signs reading “Free President Maduro” gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse waving Venezuelan flags, while opposing demonstrators held placards calling Maduro and Flores “dictators.”
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