The Portugal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the deaths of six members of the Portuguese community in the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, marking one of the deadliest natural disasters to affect the country's massive diaspora in decades. Two of the victims are Portuguese nationals, while four others are Portuguese descendants—people of Portuguese ancestry who make Venezuela home to one of the largest communities of Portuguese heritage outside Europe.
The death toll represents only the confirmed casualties as of late Thursday. Another 56 Portuguese citizens and Portuguese descendants remain unaccounted for, according to the Secretariat of State for Portuguese Communities. With communication infrastructure severely damaged across the affected regions, authorities fear the final count could climb as rescue teams penetrate deeper into the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Hardest-Hit Region Has Deep Madeira Ties
The coastal state of La Guaira, bordering the capital metropolitan area of Caracas, absorbed the most devastating impact. Venezuelan health authorities report that 235 people died and 4,300 were injured across the country, with La Guaira accounting for the majority of casualties. Unofficial estimates suggest as many as 50,000 people may be missing or uncontactable, though this figure has not been verified by government sources.
For Portugal, La Guaira carries particular significance: the region hosts a dense concentration of Madeiran emigrants and their descendants, who form the backbone of a Portuguese-Venezuelan community estimated at 1.2 million people. Over 80% of this diaspora originates from the Autonomous Region of Madeira, with smaller populations from Aveiro, Porto, and the Azores.
Miguel Albuquerque, president of the Madeira Regional Government, confirmed through personal contacts that at least two Portuguese descendants with ties to the island had perished. He described the situation as "very complicated and very grave," noting that the true scale of the disaster remains unclear as rescuers work around the clock to locate survivors.
Communication Blackout Leaves Families in Limbo
The earthquakes—measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, separated by just 38 seconds—knocked out electrical grids and cellular networks across large swaths of La Guaira. For nearly 24 hours, thousands of Portuguese and Portuguese descendants had no way to contact worried relatives in Portugal.
Pedro Abelardo Ferreira, a 30-year-old Portuguese-Venezuelan living in Maiquetía (part of La Guaira), told reporters: "There was no electricity, no cell signal—we were practically isolated and couldn't tell our families we were safe, which we finally managed to do a short while ago." He described one street in his neighborhood as "unrecognizable" due to the collapse of multiple residential towers.
Local authorities have set up free Wi-Fi access points in stadiums to allow survivors to reach family members. Yet even those who made contact remain on edge. "The earth is constantly trembling," Ferreira explained. "We've felt dozens of aftershocks accompanied by a strong rumble from deep underground. It causes anxiety—sometimes people scream."
Portuguese radio host Diogo José Freitas, who presents the program "Portugal em Tropical," was unreachable for almost a day. When he finally connected with journalists, he reported that his apartment was "destroyed" even though the building structure held. "The building resisted the earthquakes, but the apartment didn't. Besides the columns, the building has brick walls that collapsed. Today I went up to try to salvage clothing, but I couldn't remove much—it's full of debris."
Freitas detailed significant damage in the neighborhoods of Cátia La Mar, Avenida del Ejército, Avenida Atlántico (where radio station Sonera 1450, his former employer, once operated), El Caribe, Tanaguarenas, and Los Corales. All are now largely rubble.
What This Means for Portuguese Residents and Families
If you have relatives in Venezuela:
The Portugal Embassy in Caracas has activated emergency contact lines. For urgent situations in the Caracas region, call +58 414-466-5350 or email [email protected]. For the Valencia area, use +58 412-040-5565 or [email protected]. The Emergency Consular Office in Lisbon can be reached at +351 217 929 714, +351 961 706 472, or via [email protected].
A website created in the wake of the disaster—though not operated by Portuguese authorities—has logged over 57,000 reported individuals, of whom roughly 49,000 have not yet been located and approximately 7,600 have been confirmed safe. Families can consult the database to search for missing persons, though the site's accuracy depends on crowdsourced updates.
If you're considering travel or relocation:
Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía remains temporarily closed due to structural damage. The Venezuelan government has declared a state of public calamity nationwide. Portugal, alongside seven other European Union countries, is deploying search-and-rescue teams—including a 50-member Portuguese emergency unit comprising civil protection specialists, INEM medical responders, and GNR emergency personnel—to assist recovery operations.
If you're part of the diaspora in Portugal:
The Portugal-UNHCR Foundation has launched a fundraising campaign to support emergency response efforts. Donations can be made at pacnur.org/pt under the "Ajude a Venezuela" (Help Venezuela) initiative. The UNHCR notes that Venezuela's humanitarian situation was already fragile before the earthquakes, and the disaster will severely complicate the reintegration of the 1.2 million returnees who have come back to the country in recent years.
Ground Reality: Frustration Over Slow Rescue Response
Multiple Portuguese survivors have expressed frustration over what they describe as the near-total absence of rescue machinery and professional teams in some La Guaira neighborhoods. Residents took to social media to contrast the sluggish emergency response with the rapid deployment of military forces during past political protests.
A Portuguese man who witnessed the devastation told reporters: "It's practically zero—the presence of rescue teams in some areas of La Guaira. There's a lack of heavy machinery, and we're in a race against time to save lives."
Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez visited La Guaira accompanied by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez. She stated the government expects to "rescue the greatest number of people alive" from collapsed structures and confirmed that international aid requests had been issued.
International Relief Pouring In
The United States, which historically maintained sanctions on Venezuela, announced a temporary suspension of certain economic restrictions to facilitate disaster relief. The U.S. Treasury Department will permit transactions related to humanitarian assistance between June 26 and October 23. Washington has also committed $150 million in emergency aid (over €130 million) and dispatched Lieutenant General Joseph Jarrard from U.S. Southern Command to coordinate American military logistics, including amphibious transport vessels, helicopters, and reconnaissance aircraft.
Chile sent a 37-member specialist team with experience in earthquake rescues in Haiti, Ecuador, and Chile itself, with an additional 10 personnel expected in coming days. Brazil committed a field hospital, 36 firefighters, and technical experts, according to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who spoke directly with Rodríguez.
The European Union activated its RescEU civil protection mechanism, with Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic offering immediate assistance. The bloc's Copernicus satellite system has been deployed for emergency mapping.
Portugal's head of state, President António Seguro, confirmed from Miami—where he is attending a Portuguese national team football match—that "everything is being prepared so support can reach Venezuela as quickly as possible." He expressed condolences to bereaved families and said he hopes the 56 still uncontactable will be found safe. "What is needed quickly is to respond and above all see if we continue to find people alive under the rubble," Seguro stated. "All the help that can be given at this moment is extremely relevant, because we're talking about human lives."
A Tragedy with Deep Historical Roots
Venezuela's Portuguese community is the second-largest in Latin America after Brazil, a legacy of mass emigration during the mid-20th century when economic hardship drove tens of thousands of Madeirans to seek livelihoods in Caracas, Valencia, and coastal cities. Many established businesses, raised families, and maintained linguistic and cultural ties across generations.
The earthquakes have intensified concerns that a fresh wave of departures could further reduce this already fragile diaspora, which has weathered hyperinflation, political instability, and widespread shortages in recent years. Portuguese consular officials and Madeiran associations are preparing for an uptick in requests for repatriation assistance and family reunification visas as survivors assess their circumstances.
The Portuguese Episcopal Conference issued a statement expressing "concern" and solidarity with affected communities and their families in Portugal, while the Madeira Regional Civil Protection Service has offered to integrate regional specialists into the national task force heading to Venezuela.
As aftershocks continue across La Guaira and rescue operations advance into their third day, the Portuguese government has pledged to maintain close coordination with Venezuelan authorities and provide all feasible assistance to locate the missing and support survivors. For now, the immediate priority remains focused on rescue operations and locating the 56 unaccounted Portuguese nationals and descendants.
