The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has officially climbed to 5,070, while UN estimates suggest more than 50,000 more remain missing, with the majority presumed dead. The number of confirmed deaths is now higher, at 5,070, lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez announced on Saturday.
Besides, the number of those uprooted and injured has also risen sharply after rescuers pulled more people from under the rubble. Lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said in a post on the social media platform X that the total number of those injured has risen to 18,100, while 20,000 are internally displaced.
According to him, the quakes damaged 856 buildings, including 190 that collapsed. The twin earthquakes, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck the South American nation on June 24.
International rescue teams sent in the immediate aftermath of the disaster have shifted the focus to providing humanitarian relief.
He said more than 30,000 volunteers had signed up to help victims during the critical phase of the disaster and that the government is seeking to use their services in the construction and repair of homes destroyed in the tragedy.
Authorities have assisted 128,324 families and established 107 temporary camps housing 20,857 people. The government also plans to set up camps with single-family transitional housing “while permanent homes are being built”, Rodriguez said.
The United Nations launched an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million people in Venezuela in urgent need of support.
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