Bellingcat has geolocated footage circulating on social media that appears to show coffins placed in newly dug trenches following the recent deadly earthquakes in Venezuela.
The site identified extends over two hectares beside an existing cemetery in La Esperanza, a town near La Guaira on the country’s northern coast.
It was visited by a representative of our Latin American reporting partners who captured pictures of work ongoing at the site. They also report speaking to a resident who said that refrigerated trucks with several bodies had been coming and going.
The location matches a site identified in July 6 reports by AFP and Deutsche Welle (DW), which detailed that 150 unidentified bodies had been buried in a long row of individual graves.
AFP and DW published pictures of individual crosses and stones, quoting a resident of the town who stated that the burials were “numbered by plots and also by the code” so they could be identified at a later date.
It is not known if the coffins visible in the social media footage relate to the 150 unidentified bodies later referred to by AFP and DW, or if they are separate burials at the same general location.
Reuters also published pictures of the site on July 6 and showed video of coffins arriving on the back of flat bed trucks.
More than 3,500 people are confirmed to have died as a result of the earthquakes so far. But that figure is expected to rise significantly, with the UN reporting that the death toll could reach 10,000.
Oran Finegan, Director of Forensic Action International and former Head of Forensics for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Bellingcat that, while it is best practice for the burial of deceased persons to take place in individual graves, it is not uncommon to see long trenches like those seen in the social media footage when there are high numbers of unidentified deceased and it is not practical to immediately provide individual graves.
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He pointed to documentation from the ICRC that details best practices in such circumstances. He also made the important distinction between common graves, where bodies are temporarily kept until identification can take place, and mass graves, where bodies are dumped clandestinely without any care or process. What is seen in the footage appears to be the former, he said. There has been no evidence of the latter.
Finegan emphasised that it was vital that burials were mapped and recorded properly during any burial process so that identification could take place at a later date. Documenting where bodies were coming from, laying each body with enough distance from each other and ensuring each coffin or body bag had a unique number was key, he said.
While it has not been possible to ascertain the exact processes being followed at or preceding burials at the La Esperanza site, media reports in nearby La Guaira have recorded complications with identification and burial processes.
According to the BBC the scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local services, forcing institutions to improvise. Some bodies were being placed outside, exposed to the sun, at a port facility in La Guaira, the BBC reported.
A further complication is that many of the bodies recovered have reportedly been unrecognisable.
One woman told the independent Venezuelan publication RunRun.es that she was sent a tag and number for a body bag that did not match the bodies of her relatives. She was then told that her relatives’ bodies had been misidentified and sent for burial at a site in the town of Los Teques.
The New York Times reported last week that overwhelmed morgues were filling with unidentified bodies, forcing authorities to consider mass burials.
The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office, the Judicial Police and National Service of Forensic Medicine Sciences did not respond to requests for comment for this article. However, President Delcy Rodriguez has previously stated that all bodies are being processed through a forensic identification system which includes fingerprints records, photographic documentation and forensic odontology.
Rodríguez has also said that “no one will go to a mass grave”.
The President of the Venezuelan Professional Funeral Sector Association (Asoproinfu), Davenio Velásquez, stated that there is a protocol for unidentified bodies to be buried temporarily in “five hundred individual burial niches” in Caracas. He added that they will be exhumed and cremated after six months if not identified.
Finegan added that exhuming and cremating bodies prevents identification and it is not a best practice. However, he said it is important to understand local cultural and religious customs. He also added that the six-month deadline for reclaiming remains is likely unrealistically short for such a major disaster.
Terrain features in the social media videos Bellingcat found are consistent with those seen beside a graveyard on the outskirts of La Esperanza, a town situated on Venezuela’s northwest coast near the La Guaira region that was significantly impacted by the earthquakes.
These features allowed us to geolocate the site seen in the footage.
Firstly, a video published on Facebook on July 1 by Colombian digital outlet RTV appears to show a large grave with approximately half a dozen coffins situated within it. The video (which we will refer to as Video 1) further shows a group of people in civilian clothes beside a truck with more coffins on the back. It was not possible to verify the contents of the coffins.
Another video (which we will refer to as Video 2) posted to Instagram by an independent creator who said it was shared by a source on the ground also shows a series of large holes on a plot of land that appears similar to the first video.
Bellingcat sought to identify where these videos were taken by first searching for any other potential reference images and footage we could compare them to.
We found one video posted by a former army Colonel and now Mayor of Vargas Municipality, José Manuel Suárez Maldonado, posing beside heavy machinery as it prepared a plot of land that was due to be given to the local community as a new cemetery plot. The video was first published in June 2024.
By comparing the footage in the mayor’s video with the RTV and independent creator video – as well as matching landmarks visible in the mountaineering app Peakvisor – we were able to verify that all were filmed on the same plot of land.
For example, a distinctive tree formation is visible in Video 1 and Video 2, suggesting they were filmed at the same site.
Mountain features and hillsides seen in the background of Video 2 match those seen in Video 3.
The rocky facade of one hillside visible in Video 2 also matches what can be seen in Video 3.
Combined, the visual comparisons allow us to ascertain that the three videos were filmed in the same place.
We then compared the hills and mountains visible in Video 2 to what can be seen in the mountaineering app, PeakVisor. This allowed us to confirm the location just outside La Esperanza.
Satellite imagery of this site taken on June 25 shows a patch of land that appears green, filled with vegetation. By June 27, a newly scraped area of approximately 1.5 acres – roughly the size of a football pitch – appeared in exactly the same place.
It is important to note that the recently cleared area appears to have been excavated or altered before.
Satellite imagery from 2022 and 2023 shows work being carried out in the same spot before it once again became overgrown.
However, Bellingcat identified a white marquee visible in Video 2, providing a temporal reference to show that at least one of the videos was filmed in 2026.
This marquee was visible in satellite imagery captured on June 27, 2026, at the exact spot visible in Video 2.
In footage posted to TikTok on July 2 (which we are labelling Video 4) the same tent appears to be visible.
The cleared sector of land matches the shape of the work visible in more recent satellite imagery of the site.
Satellite imagery from previous years also shows that the cleared area looks slightly different when viewed from above. This allows us to be confident that the social media footage aligns with the more recent satellite imagery rather than previous years when the area was also cleared.
Bellingcat’s reporting partners contacted the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office, the Judicial Police and National Service of Forensic Medicine Sciences, the President of the Association of Funeral Industry Professionals (Asoproinfu) but did not receive a response before publication.
Finegan, the forensics expert, said that the current death toll was likely an underestimation and authorities are expecting it to rise.
But he said that even when families are unable to immediately identify their loved ones, it was vital to ensure that the deceased are buried respectfully and in a way that preserves the possibility of future identification. This he added can bring families a degree of comfort in the most difficult circumstances.
This investigation was the result of a collaborative effort with our Venezuelan and Latin American partners: Efecto Cocuyo, Alianza Rebelde Investiga (ARI)—comprising El Pitazo, Runrunes and TalCual—and the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP).
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The post Between Graves and Uncertainty: The Management of the Dead After Venezuela’s Earthquake appeared first on bellingcat.
At least 1,719 people are reported to have died after two devastating earthquakes struck northwestern Venezuela last week.
The final casualty count is expected to rise significantly.
Some media outlets report resident’s growing frustration with the Venezuelan government and its recovery efforts.
Sky News on June 29 reported that the United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Venezuela was preparing for as many as 10,000 deaths.
Social media posts, news reports and drone footage have been shared in recent days, proving vital sources for many Venezuelans (both in the country and living abroad) who are searching for information about loved ones who remain missing.
Social media pages have been set up listing many of those who are yet to be accounted for. Others have contacted Bellingcat asking if apartment blocks relatives were staying in are still standing.
Bellingcat has received satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC that shows one the worst affected areas in the country, including collapsed buildings and apartment blocks in La Guaira.
Readers can move laterally and vertically to observe the full image in the interactive below as well as zoom in on specific areas to assess the damage. A share button on the top right will copy a shareable link to the zoomed in area.
Scroll and zoom to see damage throughout the affected Venezuelan coast. Toggle between English and Spanish. Share a link to a specific location by clicking the button on the top right. The before imagery is from Jul 30, 2025 and Dec 12, 2023. After imagery is from Jun 27, 2026. SkySat imagery via Planet Labs PBC.
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The high resolution image covers a 14-mile stretch of Venezuela’s northern coast from the towns of Catia La Mar to Caraballeda, which have been among the worst impacted.
Other areas to be significantly impacted but not included in the imagery above include Caracas, Maracay, Valencia, Barquisimeto and Yaracuy.
We have compared the satellite imagery we obtained with previous images captured before the earthquake to identify which parts of this 14-mile stretch of coastline to show changes since the quakes.
Readers can toggle between the imagery captured on June 27 (five days after the Jun. 24 quakes) and a composite of reference images taken on Jul. 30, 2025 and Dec. 11, 2023 (before the quakes).
Zooming in on specific areas reveals the scale of the damage.
For example, several buildings seem to have been flattened in the below before and after images showing the Playa Grande area.
Before imagery (left) of Playa Grande is from Feb 27, 2026. Imagery from after the earthquake (right) is from Jun 26, 2026. SkySat imagery via Planet Labs PBC.
The Planet Labs imagery also confirms significant destruction in the town of Carabelleda.
Before imagery (left) of Carabelleda is from Jun. 19, 2026. Imagery from after the earthquake (right) is from Jun 27, 2026. SkySat imagery via Planet Labs PBC.
Another area, Macuto, has been significantly impacted as well.
Before imagery (left) of Macuto is from Mar 20, 2026. Imagery from after the earthquake (right) is from Jun 27, 2026. SkySat imagery via Planet Labs PBC.
Footage taken on the ground and posted to social media also displays the devastation.
A minute-long video filmed on a 500-meter section of José María España Avenue in Carabelleda shows as many as a dozen collapsed buildings, most of them high-rises. This drone footage gives an aerial look of the destruction of at least six apartment blocks in the same area.
Another video shared on social media showed a collapsed hotel in Macuto, between Carabelleda and La Guaira.
Other open source information about the damage in cities such as Caracas, Valencia and beyond can be found on this site where individuals are uploading images and videos detailing damage.
While international rescuers continue to arrive in Venezuela, the threat of aftershocks remains.
Reuters also reports that engineers fear many buildings that remain standing could be vulnerable and are requesting an audit of state housing.
Carlos Gonzales, Jake Godin and Miguel Ramalho contributed to this report.
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The post Satellite Imagery Shows Scale of Venezuela Earthquake Damage appeared first on bellingcat.
A Bellingcat investigation has identified remnants of an AGM-88 series missile inside a three-storey apartment complex that was hit in Catia La Mar during the US military raid on Venezuela on Jan. 3, 2026 that reportedly killed at least one civilian.
According to the Venezuelan independent media outlet, El Pitazo, Rosa Gonzalez, 79, was killed in this airstrike in the city of Catia La Mar in La Guaira State, 30 km north of the capital Caracas. The attack reportedly left a second individual severely wounded.
Bellingcat asked the US Department of Defense to confirm our findings. However, they stated that “a Battle Damage Assessment is ongoing”. We also reached out to the Department of State but they did not respond to our questions at the time of publication.
The Jan. 3 US attack on Venezuela targeted multiple locations across the country, including military installations and areas within and around the capital, Caracas. US military helicopters, jets and drones provided cover for an assault force that landed at Fort Tiuna, the largest military complex in Caracas; captured President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, and flew them out of the country.
About 75 people, including civilians, were killed in the operation, US officials familiar with the matter told the Washington Post. Among the military fatalities were 32 Cuban and 21 Venezuelan soldiers, according to various media reports.
According to El Pitazo, a second woman, Yohana Rodríguez Sierra, 45, was killed, and her daughter wounded, in other strikes at a communications station at Cerro El Volcán. Multiple residential houses were also reportedly destroyed in the nearby area of La Boyera.
The military operation in Caracas follows a series of attacks on alleged drug boats which have reportedly killed at least 114 in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Bellingcat has found videos showing the aftermath of the Catia La Mar attack and remnants of the munition filmed at the location. The strike destroyed some exterior walls of one apartment complex and caused extensive damage to at least two apartments.
Bellingcat geolocated the apartment complex to an area in Catia La Mar about 30 km north of Caracas (10.592796, -67.037721) and approximately 500 m east of a targeted air defence storage inside a military facility.
One video also reveals remnants of a munition. According to an analysis of visual evidence by Bellingcat, the remnants appear to show an AGM-88 series missile.
Another remnant of the AGM-88 series missile appears in a video published by Euronews. This remnant is a BSU-60 tail fin, that according to an analyst note on the Open Source Munitions Portal (OSMP), is used exclusively with the AGM-88 series missile.
The AGM-88 HARM/AARGM series are American-produced air-to-surface missiles that are designed to hit ground-based radar-emitting targets, such as air defence systems like the Buk-M2E used by Venezuela’s military, with several of them destroyed during the US military raid.
“Venezuela does not operate the AGM-88 HARM. Its F-16 acquisition occurred in 1983, when the US wouldn’t release anti-radiation tech to the region,” Dr Andrei Serbin Pont, International Analyst and President of the Regional Coordinating Centre for Economic and Social Investigations, CRIES, told Bellingcat. Later Israeli upgrades added guided munitions/AAMs, not ARMs, he said.
According to TheWarZone, Venezuela did not receive any precision air-to-surface munitions, such as the AGM-88 series missiles. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfer Database does not report any transfers of AGM-88 missiles to Venezuela.
US Navy aircraft were photographed in the region with AGM-88E AARGM missiles in the weeks before the operation. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine, stated that jets of this type, designed to suppress and destroy air defences, took part in the operation.
The US struck several air defence systems across Venezuela as part of the operation, with Buk-M2E launchers being destroyed at La Guaira Port, and the Higuerote and La Carlota airbases. Satellite imagery from Vantor shows that the area near a BuK-M2E storage building at Fort Guaicaipuro was also struck, but no air defence systems can clearly be seen.
According to satellite imagery, Buk-M2E launchers appear to have been stored at the military base approximately 500m from the residential building that was hit.
Bellingcat was not able to determine what caused the missile to strike the apartment building or if Buk-2ME launchers at Catia La Mar or a different system were the intended target.
The AARGM variant is capable of having designated missile “impact zones” and “avoidance zones” programmed to determine where the missile can or can’t impact when used on missions, a feature added to “prevent collateral damage”.
Bellingcat asked the US Department of Defense if any weapons used in the operation transmitted a weapons impact assessment or other data that indicated they hit an unintended or civilian location. They said that a Battle Damage Assessment is ongoing.
Carlos Gonzales, Giancarlo Fiorella, Jake Godin, Trevor Ball and Youri van der Weide contributed to this report.
Bellingcat is a non-profit and the ability to carry out our work is dependent on the kind support of individual donors. If you would like to support our work, you can do so here. You can also subscribe to our Patreon channel here. Subscribe to our Newsletter and follow us on Twitter here and Mastodon here.
The post Inside the Strike: The US Munition That Hit a Residential Building in Venezuela appeared first on bellingcat.
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