More than a dozen Venezuelan musicians living in Madrid will perform at a charity concert on June 30 to raise funds for people affected by the twin earthquakes in Venezuela. The event, titled Desde Afuera, is scheduled for Casa Brava on Calle de Valverde, 44. Organizers say proceeds will go to organizations carrying out rescue and relief work in affected areas.
The earthquakes struck on June 24, about 30 seconds apart. A technical account by Venezuela’s Academia de Ciencias de la Ingeniería y el Hábitat places the first at magnitude 7.2 near San Felipe, Yaracuy, and the second at magnitude 7.5 offshore near Catia La Mar, La Guaira. The academy describes extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure, alongside displacement and disrupted impressive services. It estimates direct material losses at tens of billions of U.S. dollars.
When the concert was announced, figures released on June 28 put the toll at 1,430 dead and more than 3,200 injured. Later official figures cited by the United Nations and reported by Semana rose to 6,509 deaths, 16,740 injuries and about 18,000 people without homes. Semana reported that the government had not publicly updated the death toll since August 24, leaving the final scale of the disaster uncertain. The early June 28 count and the later figures reflect different points in the developing response.
The disaster has prompted solidarity across Spain, particularly among Venezuelans living abroad. Its emotional impact is especially acute for the nearly 100,000 Venezuelans in the Madrid region, many of whom are waiting for news from relatives back home.
In response, Madrid’s music scene has organized a benefit show featuring Inés de Lía, Géocoro, Mar Morena, Todo Bien Todo Mal, Eva Anaí, Luigi Escalante, Lucía Alegría, Volver al Mar, Carla Mazri and Garet, among others. The concert is scheduled to begin at 20:30. Organizers hope the show will encourage continued support for earthquake victims.
Tickets are available through Entradium, including a contribution option starting at five euros for people unable to attend. Organizers say the funds raised will be distributed among humanitarian organizations working in Venezuela, supporting immediate rescue operations and assistance for displaced families.
The scale of the tragedy has deeply affected Venezuelans abroad, many of whom have seen their numbers in Spain grow thirteenfold since 2003. Venezuelans account for about 3.4% of residents in Madrid’s lower-income neighborhoods and nearly 2% in more affluent areas, information from figures cited in the concert announcement. Nationwide, the Venezuelan population in Spain exceeds half a million, reflecting broader migration trends in recent years.
Later estimates have underscored how difficult it is to establish the human toll. Reporting on U.S. Geological Survey modeling described a median estimate of 53,000 deaths, with a 50% probability that the toll was higher than that figure and an approximately 81% probability that it exceeded 10,000. These are probabilistic estimates, not a confirmed count. By October, Infobae reported that 29,000 people remained missing and 200,000 children were still out of school four months after the earthquakes, alongside the official toll of 6,509 deaths.
As the community mobilizes, the concert at Casa Brava has become a focal point for collective action. The initiative echoes broader civil society responses after the disaster, including coverage of grassroots aid efforts in La Guaira. Organizers say that, for many, taking part is a way to process grief and provide practical support from afar.
Spain has become a basic destination for Venezuelan migrants, with Madrid hosting one of Europe’s largest communities. Benefit events such as Desde Afuera reflect the strong ties between expatriates and their homeland, as well as the capacity for community-led support after a crisis.
