Earthquakes in Venezuela: Death Toll Rises to 3,500
The death toll in Venezuela has risen following two powerful earthquakes—3,535 people have died.
The country’s authorities have released updated figures. According to Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodríguez, more than 16,700 people were injured, and nearly 18,000 residents were left homeless as a result of the natural disaster.
As a reminder, the earthquakes occurred on June 24: tremors measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale struck just seconds apart. The disaster hit Caracas and the coastal region of La Guaira the hardest.
The new figures confirm the scale of the destruction in the capital and surrounding areas, where rescue and recovery efforts have been ongoing for over a week. According to Venezuela’s Vice Presidency for Social Affairs, at least 12,800 people are currently staying in 80 temporary shelters in Caracas and La Guaira.
Amid the aftermath of the disaster, dissatisfaction with the government’s response is growing in the country. Some Venezuelans claim that aid arrived late and was insufficient. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, for her part, defends the government’s response. She asserts that emergency responders were deployed immediately after the earthquakes.
The authorities also announced the creation of a new military unit to provide assistance during future emergencies and natural disasters.
In La Guaira on Monday, Reuters witnesses saw trucks and forensic experts transporting coffins. Heavy equipment was digging trenches in an open area marked with white crosses: there, the authorities were burying the unidentified bodies of the victims.
The UN stated that it continues to scale up humanitarian aid to Venezuela in coordination with the government in Caracas. According to the organization’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, some search-and-rescue teams are still operating in the affected areas, and engineering specialists and medical personnel are arriving.
“Some search-and-rescue teams remain deployed in the affected areas, while other specialized engineering teams and medical support continue to arrive,” Dujarric said.
He added that a comprehensive needs assessment, which will serve as the basis for updating the response plan, is nearly complete. However, the spokesperson did not specify when it would be released. UN agencies are already providing services in three camps and assessing other locations where support can be expanded for people who lost their homes in the earthquakes.
This was reported by Reuters.
In Venezuela, a boy spent six days trapped under the rubble after powerful earthquakes.
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Later, the death toll from the devastating earthquake in Venezuela rose.
