Spanish authorities now confirm that three nationals have died in the double earthquake in Venezuela, while 99 remain unaccounted for. Rescue teams are trying to reach four Spanish citizens trapped beneath collapsed buildings, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said from Mexico.
Emergency crews are working to reach those still under the rubble. The Spanish government has sent a military aircraft to Venezuela carrying members of the Unidad Militar de Emergencias and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. Firefighters from the Community of Madrid are also on board. The plane will bring back a group of Spanish tourists currently in the country.
The earthquakes struck on 24 June 2026, with reported magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, and were followed by more than 1,200 aftershocks. The damage reached far beyond the areas where Spanish nationals were being sought. The Venezuelan engineering body Academia de la Ingeniería y el Hábitat reported extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure, as well as displacement and disruption to impressive services. It estimated direct material losses in the tens of billions of dollars. San Felipe and Catia La Mar were among the locations affected.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not released the names of all the deceased. Family sources confirmed to Europa Press that one victim was Alazne Solabarrieta Lecea, a 65-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan born in Caracas. She was the granddaughter of José María Solabarrieta, who served as mayor of Ondarroa (Bizkaia) during the Second Republic before being exiled to Venezuela. Her husband, Koldo Olalde, survived the disaster and is currently hospitalized. He is identified as Luis María Olalde Quintela, also known as Txistu, who fled Spain in 1979 after being part of ETA's Urola commando. Spanish authorities have previously requested information about him from Venezuelan officials.
Venezuela's reported death toll grew well beyond the initial rescue effort involving foreign nationals. Later reports cited an official count of 6,509 deaths and 16,740 injuries, with about 18,000 people left homeless and tens of thousands reported missing. A separate estimate related to the U.S. Geological Survey, cited in subsequent coverage, put the median projection at approximately 53,000 deaths. That figure is a statistical estimate, not a confirmed count. Other reports published four months after the earthquakes cited more than 200,000 injured people and at least 20,000 people who had lost their homes. They also reported roughly 29,000 people still missing and around 200,000 children unable to attend school. Jesús “Txuo” Rodríguez Villarroel, director of Fundación Unidos en la Misión, said the emergency phase was still ongoing and described the crisis as “much longer and less visible.”
The situation remains fluid, and the number of missing and affected Spaniards could change as rescue operations continue. The Spanish government is working with local and international agencies to support those affected and arrange the safe return of its citizens. The disaster has also disrupted Spain's diplomatic operations in Caracas. Later reports said the Embassy and Consulate moved from Torre España, taken out of service over structural risks linked to a damaged neighboring tower, to Quinta Marmolejo, the former embassy residence. The relocation affects consular services for a Spanish community of more than 130,000 people, information from later reporting.
