Venezuela quakes leave over 6,500 dead
More than 16,740 injured and thousands missing: three months on, recovery is far from over, according to World Vision.
On June 24, 2026, two earthquakes in Venezuela of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 shook the country's north-central region 39 seconds apart. World Vision reported that the death toll exceeded 6,500 people.
What the quakes left behind
The epicenters were located near Morón, on the Caribbean coast, about 100 miles west of Caracas, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). They are among the strongest quakes the country has experienced in more than a century. More than 1,400 aftershocks followed, according to official counts reported in July.
Hospitals, schools, roads and bridges were damaged. La Guaira, on the coast north of Caracas, was the hardest-hit state. More than 16,740 people were injured and thousands remain missing. Three months after the disaster, thousands are still displaced and debris removal is moving slowly.
«Aid is sustained when memory does not run out.»
World Vision also reports a response in Colombia, where a magnitude 7.4 quake struck the western part of the country on August 10, 2026, near San José del Palmar. It was the deadliest there since 1999, with at least 335 dead.
Churches and aid on the ground
Since the earthquakes, World Vision has been working with more than 2,000 local churches through its Hope Without Borders program. To date it has served more than 130,321 people in La Guaira, Caracas, Miranda and other areas, with food, hygiene kits and water, recreational materials and child protection activities.
In the Playa Grande sector of Catia La Mar, teams deliver food, safe water and psychosocial support alongside congregations and partners. With the World Food Programme they served hot meals to hundreds of children and adults. Child-Friendly Spaces offer play, emotional support and adult supervision so children can heal from trauma.
The organization has served vulnerable families in Venezuela since 2019 and has accumulated more than 2.65 million services for children and families affected by displacement and crisis.
Pastor Eusebio Cortés, of Iglesia La Familia de Dios Unida in La Guaira, lost relatives, his livelihood and much of the church building. Even so, he opens the doors to those who walk long distances seeking comfort. "When I prayed to the Lord, I never imagined I would receive so much for others," he said (translation by Sígueme).
Edgar Sandoval Sr., president and CEO of World Vision, said he visited the hardest-hit areas and heard children describe fears no child should experience. Peter Gape, national director for Colombia and Venezuela, said solidarity is making a difference, but the scale of the emergency demands sustained support.
Recovery takes years
The emergency phase is over, though recovery will take months and, in some communities, years. Families still need clean water, food, medical care, child protection and emotional support; they also need temporary learning spaces. In camps and shelters, the lack of water and sanitation worries health experts because of the risk of infectious diseases.
That list is not a call to helplessness. You can pray specifically: for children sleeping outdoors, for churches serving in the midst of their own pain, and for those rebuilding homes and neighborhoods. If you can give money, do so through verified channels of organizations already on the ground, and ask them to be accountable for what they receive.
The psalmist wrote: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1, ESV). Aid is sustained when memory does not run out. What concrete step will you take this month to walk with those who still have no home?
