The death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela has exceeded 1,700 (ВІДЕО)
The death toll from the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June has risen to 1,719. This was announced by the President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, according to The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
He said that 22,619 people are receiving treatment in hospitals, field hospitals and triage centres. A further 15,866 people have lost their homes.
The state of La Guaira has suffered the most damage. The government has set up 15 large temporary shelters there. A further 50 are operating in the Caracas metropolitan area.
The search and rescue operation is ongoing. It involves 3,319 foreign rescue workers, 45 international delegations, 140 search dogs, 49 pieces of support equipment and over 700,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid.
According to official figures, 75,238 families have already received aid. In La Guaira, 7.2 tonnes of food have also been distributed.
Although more than 72 hours have passed since the earthquakes, rescue workers are continuing to pull people from the rubble. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, stated that the main focus is now on searching for people, providing emergency medical care and securing accommodation for those affected.
On Monday, a new earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale was also recorded off the coast of Venezuela, heightening anxiety among the population and complicating rescue operations.
The Venezuelan government has announced that it is in talks with international organisations and experts to resolve the housing crisis. In the states of La Guaira, Miranda and Greater Caracas, special teams are assessing whether damaged buildings are fit for habitation.
Amid the rescue operation, the search continues for tens of thousands of people who are still missing. According to online platforms set up to help people locate relatives, nearly 50,000 people may still be unaccounted for.
One of the worst-hit areas is the city of Caraballeda. There, entire residential neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble. Local residents, together with rescue workers, are continuing to clear the rubble in search of anyone who may have survived.
Some residents have criticised the authorities’ response as inadequate and disorganised. There have also been complaints about delays in granting access to international rescue teams and heavy machinery.
Teams from Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the US have joined the search and rescue operations.
