Father mourns wife who died shielding daughter in Venezuela quakes

Venezuela’s earthquake death toll rose to 589 on Friday as Héctor Bello mourned the wife who died shielding their one-year-old daughter from a collapsing building in La Guaira. Bello wrote on social media that Andrea had "given your own life for our daughter."

Bello said his daughter, Alana, survived and was being treated in hospital with her aunt. He said he had traveled to Caracas to be with them, as families across the country waited for word from hospitals and emergency crews.

The quakes hit on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, when two powerful temblors struck within about a minute of each other. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the first at magnitude 7.1 near Morón at a depth of 13 kilometers, followed by a stronger 7.5-magnitude quake. The pair ripped through northwestern Venezuela and sent aftershocks through the region. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded more than 20 aftershocks.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on Friday that 2,980 people had been injured. Hundreds more remained trapped or missing as rescue teams searched collapsed buildings in Caracas, La Guaira and other hard-hit areas.

Buildings collapsed in Caracas, and the country’s main international airport suffered serious damage and was closed. In La Guaira, a coastal state already strained by dense population and fragile infrastructure, the destruction turned neighborhoods into scenes of dust, broken concrete and improvised rescue efforts by residents trying to reach relatives and neighbors before heavy equipment arrived.

Foreign rescue teams and aid were arriving as the search continued. Donald Trump said the United States was ready to help, and U.S. forces were being positioned to support relief operations.