Fresh tremors have struck the northern Venezuelan coast around La Guaira, the region worst hit by a pair of earthquakes on June 24 that has left more than 1,400 people dead.
A magnitude 4.2 quake was recorded about 10km east of La Guaira state on June 29, the Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research (Funvisis) said. It was followed by a weaker 2.7 tremor near the same area.
Both struck at shallow depths of less than 5km, hours after a series of smaller pre-dawn tremors. More than 400 aftershocks have been logged since the initial quakes.
Authorities urged residents to stay alert and to avoid travelling to the central coast, so as not to block access roads while rescue operations continued.
The June 24 disaster, caused by twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes seconds apart, was among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez put the latest toll at more than 1,400 dead and over 3,200 injured.
Thousands more remained unaccounted for, and foreign teams were still pulling survivors from collapsed buildings days after the event. The main airport serving Caracas was badly damaged and only partially reopened this week.
The European Union has mobilised one of its largest relief operations in Latin America in response. The European Commission coordinated rescue teams through the EU civil protection mechanism, with up to 14 member states contributing.
More than 520 responders were deployed, alongside €5 million in fresh humanitarian aid and a supply air bridge departing from Copenhagen. That came on top of the €52 million the bloc had already allocated for Venezuela this year.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked member states for their solidarity. “Venezuela is not alone,” she said.
Spain was among the first to respond, sending military rescue units and canine teams. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Madrid was also working to help Spanish nationals living in the country.
Several Spaniards were among the foreign nationals confirmed dead, alongside Brazilian, Chinese, Italian and Portuguese citizens.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado said she intended to return to Venezuela soon to support those affected.
The earthquakes have compounded a long-running crisis in the country, which has been run by acting President Delcy Rodríguez since the United States removed Nicolás Maduro in a military operation in January.
