A month after the double earthquakes, Venezuela’s death toll reaches 5,398 with thousands still missing and homeless.
CARACAS: The number of people killed from the double earthquakes in Venezuela last month has reached 5,398, according to the latest tally released by officials on Wednesday.
The June 24 earthquakes, which recorded respective magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, destroyed hundreds of buildings, particularly in the hardest-hit state of La Guaira, in the country’s coastal north.
Venezuela’s legislative chief Jorge Rodriguez said in a daily bulletin update the death toll was 5,398, up 52 from the day before. The government tally of 16,740 injured remained the same.
Caracas has not given a figure for those still missing, but several national and international organizations estimate that thousands of people may still be unaccounted for.
Search efforts continue for loved ones whose remains might be underneath piles of rubble, but operations are evolving a month out from the disaster to focus on post-earthquake humanitarian aid and rebuilding.
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez this week vowed to deliver 4,000 homes by year’s end to those displaced by the earthquakes, including an estimated 23,000 who are now homeless. She also set a goal of 10,000 homes for earthquake victims by 2027.
To finance reconstruction efforts, the International Monetary Fund has released around $346 million from the country’s reserves.
Venezuela’s unicameral National Assembly also approved reforms intended to speed up the construction of housing developments in the wake of the rebuilding efforts.
There have also been 1,405 aftershocks recorded in the month since the earthquakes.
