Society · July 2026

Venezuela on July 1, 2026, faces a mounting humanitarian crisis after two powerful earthquakes killed nearly 2,000 people and injured over 10,000, overwhelming the health system, according to the World Health Organization. The US military launched a major relief operation to assist in the aftermath, as the country grapples with widespread shortages of food and tents. Venezuela declared seven days of mourning following the disaster. A three-year-old child was rescued six days after the Venezuela quakes, and a puppy was also pulled from the rubble. (ongoing coverage) Fact checkers at AFP identified weeks-old CCTV footage from the Philippines that was misrepresented online as showing the Venezuela earthquake.