# OPEN LETTER: In Caracas, a toll of 2,595 dead the world must not forget > Introduction: a letter so we don't look away - Author: Maxime Marquette - Publisher: MadMax (https://mad-max.co) - Section: Open letter - Published: 2026-07-03 - Canonical URL: https://mad-max.co/en/article/lettre-ouverte-lettre-ouverte-a-caracas-un-bilan-de-2-595-morts-que-le-monde-ne-doit-pas-oublier ## Introduction: a letter so we don't look away ### Why I'm writing this open letter Madam **Rodríguez**, I watched your press conference and read, like thousands of journalists around the world, the chilling figure you confirmed this week: **2,595 dead** and **more than 12,400 wounded** following the two **earthquakes** that struck **Venezuela** at the end of June, according to data you yourself provided to international media and reported by **Anadolu Agency**. I am writing you this open letter not as a diplomat, nor as a representative of a **government**, but as a **columnist** who believes certain numbers deserve to be addressed directly, without filter, to those who carry the responsibility for rebuilding a wounded country. ### What I know, what I don't know I know what your own authorities have publicly confirmed: a toll that keeps climbing, search operations that continue even as hope fades, and a **reconstruction** **fund** of **200 million dollars** announced through resources available from the **International Monetary Fund**, according to **Xinhua**. What I don't know, however, is whether this **fund** will be enough, or whether your **government's** initial response, criticized by several humanitarian organizations as slow and disorganized according to **DW**, will be corrected in time to avoid further avoidable losses in the weeks ahead. ## The human toll, number by number ### A tragedy of two earthquakes The two earthquakes, measured at magnitude **7.2** and **7.5** respectively, rank among the most powerful to hit **Venezuela** in more than a century, according to **Al Jazeera**, a geological fact that partly explains the unprecedented scale of destruction observed in several regions of the country. The initial toll of **589** **deaths** reported a few days after the **disaster** has since more than quadrupled, reaching the **2,595 confirmed deaths** you announced this week, a progression that illustrates both the scale of the disaster and the extreme difficulty of search operations in the **rubble**. ### La Guaira, epicenter of the pain The coastal state of **La Guaira**, north of **Caracas**, bears a disproportionate share of the damage, with more than **100 collapsed buildings** and roughly **70,000 families** directly affected, according to figures cited by **Al Jazeera** and attributed to Interior Minister **Diosdado Cabello**. The country's main international airport, located in that same region, remains closed due to structural damage, a closure that further complicates the delivery of international aid to the areas hardest hit by the **disaster**. ## Your public defense of the government's response ### Words chosen with firmness Madam **Rodríguez**, you described the **criticism** directed at your **government** as **"narratives manufactured in propaganda laboratories,"** according to remarks you made before foreign journalists and reported by **DW**, adding that **"politicizing a humanitarian tragedy"** of this scale was, in your words, a **"dishonorable"** act. You also stated: **"We did not wait one day, two days or three days. We activated immediately,"** a firm declaration that contrasts with the **criticism** voiced by several international humanitarian organizations in the days following the **disaster**. ### The testimony of first responders You pointed out that at the collapse sites, **"the first people to arrive were the survivors** of the collapse themselves, along with relatives and neighbors," an observation that highlights Venezuelan community resilience in the face of the initial absence of organized relief, a reality I readily acknowledge in this letter. This popular resilience, however admirable, cannot replace a structured and rapid state response, a point on which I respectfully feel compelled to address you directly in this letter. ## The International Rescue Committee and its criticism ### A response deemed insufficient The **International Rescue Committee** stated earlier this week that the scale of the humanitarian response did not meet the real needs of the affected population, according to **DW**, an assessment that directly contradicts your own presentation of the efforts undertaken by your **government**. This divergence between your official account and the assessment of independent humanitarian organizations raises a legitimate question: which side, your **government** or these organizations, has a more accurate picture of the reality on the ground, a week after the **disaster**? ### A health risk compounding the grief Doctors have warned that the current situation could lead to an **outbreak of infectious diseases**, worsening an already severe medical crisis, according to **DW**, as thousands of **disaster victims** continue sleeping in overcrowded shelters or outdoors, without stable access to clean water or basic care. This secondary health risk, often underestimated in media coverage of natural disasters, could turn a seismic tragedy into a prolonged public health crisis if adequate measures are not quickly implemented. ## The 200-million-dollar reconstruction fund ### A figure announced, but fragile You announced the creation of an initial **fund** of **200 million dollars**, financed through resources available from the **International Monetary Fund**, intended to rebuild **infrastructure**, hospitals and housing for **disaster victims**, according to **Xinhua**, an initiative I applaud without reservation in principle. This **fund**, however, remains described as "initial" in your own words, which leaves open the crucial question of the additional financing needed to cover the true scale of the damage suffered by a country already weakened by years of economic crisis. ### The IMF and the World Bank, cautious partners The **International Monetary Fund** and the **World Bank** have agreed to provide financial assistance for recovery efforts, according to **DW**, a significant commitment given the historically strained relations between these institutions and the current Venezuelan **government**. This unusual collaboration between **Caracas** and international financial institutions could, if it fully materializes, set an interesting precedent for how **Venezuela** manages its future economic relations with the global financial community. ## American aid, a gesture worth highlighting ### More than 300 million dollars committed The **United States** has committed more than **300 million dollars** and deployed roughly **900 troops** to support rescue and humanitarian relief operations, according to **DW**, a substantial commitment despite the persistent political tensions between **Washington** and **Caracas**. You yourself expressed gratitude toward President **Donald Trump** and Secretary of State **Marco Rubio** for their support, stating that they **"have remained consistently attentive and offered their support,"** a notable statement coming from a **government** usually critical of **Washington**. ### A humanitarian gesture beyond political divides This American gesture, however diplomatically calculated, deserves recognition as an example of how **humanitarian aid** can transcend, at least temporarily, decades of geopolitical rivalry between two governments with diametrically opposed ideologies. The **Trump** administration, despite the legitimate **criticism** it draws on many other international files, demonstrates here an ability to act pragmatically when human lives are directly at stake, an observation I make without excessive indulgence. ## Continental solidarity, an encouraging reflex ### Neighbors mobilized quickly Countries such as **Brazil**, **Canada**, **Mexico**, **Colombia**, **El Salvador** and **Cuba** sent search-and-rescue teams as well as **humanitarian aid** in the days following the **disaster**, according to **Al Jazeera**, illustrating a regional reflex of **solidarity** in the face of the disaster's scale. This rapid continental mobilization, regardless of the diverging ideological alignments between these countries and the Venezuelan **government**, demonstrates that certain humanitarian emergencies can still unite nations otherwise separated by deep political disagreements. ### The United Nations on the front line The **United Nations'** humanitarian chief, **Tom Fletcher**, stated: **"To the Venezuelan people, to those whose loved ones are under the rubble**, know that we are determined to get aid to you," according to **Al Jazeera**, an institutional commitment that complements the bilateral efforts deployed by various countries. This UN presence, though often criticized for bureaucratic slowness in other crisis contexts, provides essential international coordination in the face of a **disaster** whose scale far exceeds the capacities of a single country, even with the help of its immediate neighbors. ## An economy already weakened before the disaster ### Years of crisis that make everything worse **Venezuela** was already going through an extremely difficult economic situation before these **earthquakes**, marked by frequent power outages and public **infrastructure** weakened by years of prolonged crisis, according to **Al Jazeera**, a context that considerably complicates any rapid response to a **disaster** of this scale. This pre-existing economic fragility means that post-quake **reconstruction** cannot simply aim to restore the previous state, but will have to contend with **infrastructure** that was already deficient long before the ground shook twice at the end of June. ### The weight of international sanctions The international economic sanctions imposed on the Venezuelan **government** for several years continue to weigh on its ability to quickly mobilize outside financial resources, a structural factor that makes the unusual collaboration with the **IMF** announced this week all the more significant. This complex economic reality leads me to hope, in this open letter, that the **international community** will know how to distinguish between the legitimate **criticism** directed at your **government** on other matters and the absolute humanitarian **emergency** currently facing the Venezuelan civilian population. ## Searches continue, hope fades ### A week later, despair sets in A week after the initial **earthquakes**, search-and-rescue operations continue, but hope of finding more **survivors** is fading considerably, according to **DW**, a reality that is gradually shifting the nature of operations on the ground, from searching for survivors to recovering bodies. Relatives, rescuers and volunteers are now focusing mainly on recovering remains, a grim but necessary task to allow grieving **families** to mourn with dignity, despite the overwhelming scale of the collective tragedy experienced by an entire country. ### The number of missing, a persistent uncertainty Thousands of people remain unaccounted for according to reported data, a persistent uncertainty that keeps many Venezuelan **families** in an agonizing state of waiting, caught between faint hope and gradual resignation in the face of the disaster's scale. You yourself insisted, Madam **Rodríguez**, on the methodological rigor of your figures, stating according to **Anadolu Agency**: **"The figure we are giving is a rigorous figure,"** a claim that deserves acknowledgment while remaining subject to ongoing independent verification. ## What this letter is concretely asking of you ### Continued transparency demanded Madam **Rodríguez**, this letter asks you for continuous and verifiable **transparency** on the use of the **200-million-dollar** **reconstruction** **fund**, so that the **international community** and the Venezuelan people can be assured that these resources actually reach affected **families** rather than getting lost in opaque administrative channels. This demand for **transparency** is not a gratuitous political attack, but a legitimate request that any **government**, regardless of ideological orientation, should accept in the face of a **disaster** that has cost the lives of thousands of its own citizens. ### A call for full humanitarian openness I also ask you, in this letter, to fully facilitate access for independent international humanitarian organizations, including those that criticized the initial slowness of your response, because their expanded presence can only benefit the affected population, regardless of the political tensions this might generate. This openness, if it fully materializes in the weeks ahead, would be a strong positive signal demonstrating that your **government's** true priority remains the protection and recovery of its own people, beyond domestic or international political considerations. ## What the world must take away from this disaster ### A disaster that transcends divides This Venezuelan seismic disaster, with its toll of **2,595 confirmed deaths** and **12,400 wounded**, is a reminder of a fundamental truth too often forgotten: natural disasters do not choose their victims based on their government's political orientation, and international aid should never be conditioned by ideological considerations in the face of such a humanitarian **emergency**. The mobilization observed, despite its limits and legitimate **criticism**, demonstrates that effective international coordination remains possible even between actors with historically strained diplomatic relations, a precedent that could inspire future responses to similar disasters elsewhere in the world. ### A lesson on the fragility of infrastructure This **disaster** also highlights the extreme vulnerability of **infrastructure** in already economically weakened countries, a lesson that should push the **international community** to invest more, before the next disaster strikes, in preventively strengthening the critical infrastructure of the most vulnerable nations. **Venezuela**, like so many other countries facing prolonged economic crises, painfully illustrates how infrastructural neglect accumulated over years of economic hardship can turn a natural geological event into a human tragedy of disproportionate scale. ## The uncertain future of Venezuela's reconstruction ### Decades of work ahead of you The full **reconstruction** of the affected areas, particularly in the state of **La Guaira** where more than **70,000 families** have been affected, will likely require years, if not decades, of sustained effort, far beyond the initial **200-million-dollar** **fund** announced this week by your **government**. This time reality demands long-term planning that goes well beyond the immediate political cycle, planning that will need to survive potential changes of **government** and fluctuations in international attention toward this **disaster** once the media spotlight moves elsewhere. ### The ongoing role of the international community The **international community**, including financial institutions like the **IMF** and the **World Bank**, will need to sustain its commitment well beyond the immediate emergency phase, a long-term commitment that will be the true test of the sincerity of the **solidarity** currently being shown toward the Venezuelan people. This open letter, Madam Rodríguez, closes with the sincere hope that the 2,595 lives lost do not simply become a forgotten statistic, but rather the starting point for a truly transparent and lasting reconstruction for your country. ## The role of international media in the coverage ### Global attention already fading International media coverage of this disaster, intense in the first days after the earthquakes, is already showing signs of slowing down, a familiar but troubling phenomenon that risks reducing the public pressure needed to sustain the financial commitments promised by various international actors. This media dynamic, observed in numerous previous natural disasters elsewhere in the world, illustrates a structural challenge that long-term reconstruction efforts systematically run into, long after the immediate emergency has faded from the spotlight. ### The importance of independent journalism on the ground Local and international journalists who continue documenting the situation in **La Guaira** and other affected areas play an essential role in maintaining informational pressure on your government and the international community, ensuring that the promises made this week do not turn into mere statements with no concrete follow-up. This continued journalistic presence remains, in my view, one of the best safeguards against the gradual forgetting that systematically threatens this kind of disaster once the immediate emergency fades from the international public's mind. ## Children and vulnerable people, an absolute priority ### A particularly exposed population Children, the elderly and people with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups facing the consequences of this disaster, whether it's the immediate health risks in overcrowded shelters or the lasting psychological trauma tied to losing their home and, sometimes, family members. This heightened vulnerability requires that reconstruction efforts, including those funded by the **200-million-dollar** fund announced this week, give explicit priority to the specific needs of these populations, rather than focusing solely on general infrastructure reconstruction. ### The invisible trauma that will linger Beyond the material damage and the death and injury toll, this disaster will leave lasting psychological trauma among survivors, particularly children who experienced their home collapsing or the loss of loved ones, invisible wounds that will require long-term mental health support. This psychological dimension of reconstruction, often neglected in favor of purely infrastructural considerations, deserves explicit attention in the long-term planning of your government and its international partners. ## Conclusion: a letter that calls for remembrance ### What I take away from this tragedy Madam Rodríguez, this open letter ends where it began: with the figure of **2,595 dead** and **12,400 wounded**, a toll that neither geopolitics nor diplomatic tensions should ever cause the rest of the world to forget. Your government has announced a reconstruction fund, secured an unusual collaboration with the **IMF**, and received aid from numerous countries and international organizations; these gestures deserve recognition, just as the legitimate criticism voiced by independent humanitarian organizations deserves to be heard and followed by concrete action. ### A final word for the grieving families To the Venezuelan families mourning a loved one lost under the rubble today, this letter can offer no sufficient consolation, but it can at least bear witness that their tragedy has not gone unnoticed beyond their country's borders, and that it deserves sustained international attention in the months and years of reconstruction ahead. **By Maxime Marquette, columnist** ## Columnist's transparency note ### Editorial stance I am not a journalist but a **columnist and analyst**. My expertise lies in observing and analysing the geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics that shape our world. My work is to take political strategies apart, to understand global economic movements, to put the decisions of international actors in context and to offer analytical perspectives on the changes that are redefining our societies. I do not claim the cold objectivity of traditional journalism, which stops at reporting facts. **I claim analytical clarity**, rigorous interpretation and a deep understanding of the complex issues that concern us all. My role is to give meaning to the facts, to place them in their historical and strategic context, and to offer a critical reading of events. ### Method and sources This text keeps the basic distinction between **verified facts and interpretive analysis**. The rule never changes: a factual claim is published only when a verifiable source supports it, and the sources this article actually used are listed under **Sources**, never here. **Primary source families** used by the publication, when the story has them: official statements from governments and international institutions, public statements by political leaders, reports from intergovernmental organisations, dispatches from recognised international news agencies. **Secondary source families**: specialised publications, internationally recognised news media, analyses from established research institutions, reports from industry organisations. When an article cites statistical, economic or geopolitical data, it comes from the institutions that produce it (intergovernmental organisations, central banks, national statistics offices), and the exact institution is named under **Sources**. ### Nature of the analysis The analyses, interpretations and perspectives in the analytical sections of this article are a **critical, contextual synthesis** based on the information available, the trends observed and the expert comments cited in the sources consulted. My role is to interpret these facts, to set them in the context of today's geopolitical and economic dynamics, and to give them a coherent meaning within the larger story of the changes shaping our time. These analyses reflect expertise built through continuous observation of international affairs and an understanding of the strategic mechanisms that drive global actors. This article describes a documented state of affairs on its publication date, not a prediction: later developments may shift its outlook. No update is promised in advance; when an article is corrected or completed, the change is dated in the text. ## Sources ### Primary sources - [Delcy Rodríguez press conference on post-earthquake reconstruction — July 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXX4_weSVpI) - [Anadolu Agency — Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 2,595, with 12,400 injured — July 3, 2026](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/venezuela-earthquake-death-toll-rises-to-2-595-with-12-400-injured/3984842) ### Secondary sources - [DW — Venezuela leader rejects criticism for earthquake response — July 3, 2026](https://amp.dw.com/en/venezuela-leader-rejects-criticism-for-earthquake-response/a-77812839) - [Xinhua — Venezuela's acting president announces 200-mln-USD fund for reconstruction — June 26, 2026](https://english.news.cn/20260626/bc9c9d0a23b84d73a26a2027d0abfe77/c.html) - [Al Jazeera — World aids rescue effort as Venezuela quake death toll hits 920 — June 26, 2026](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/26/neighbours-aid-rescue-effort-as-venezuela-quake-death-toll-hits-235) - [CGTN — Venezuela earthquake recovery update — July 3, 2026](https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-07-03/news-1Ote8tGvXdC/p.html) --- Source: Maxime Marquette, MadMax. When citing, name the author and link https://mad-max.co/en/article/lettre-ouverte-lettre-ouverte-a-caracas-un-bilan-de-2-595-morts-que-le-monde-ne-doit-pas-oublier