Caracas, July 16 (IANS) The death toll from the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 4,829, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Wednesday.
The number of injured remained at 16,740, according to figures released in an update on social media by Rodriguez.
Authorities have set up 106 temporary camps, which are now housing 20,857 people affected by the disaster, and more than 63,000 personnel remain deployed in search and rescue operations, reports Xinhua news agency.
Venezuela has recorded 1,284 aftershocks since the twin earthquakes struck three weeks ago, according to the update.
Earlier on July 11, A total of 18,437 people affected by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 have been moved to shelters, Hector Rodriguez, vice president for social affairs, said Saturday on Telegram.
Rodriguez said 94 temporary camps have been set up so far.
La Guaira, the coastal state where the two quakes caused the most damage, has 10,981 people in shelters, while Caracas has 6,133 and the central state of Miranda has 1,323, he said.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck central Venezuela have killed 4,118 people and injured 16,740, according to the latest official report.
Earlier, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez expressed gratitude for the humanitarian aid provided by 28 countries to support victims of the country’s recent quakes.
She made the remarks after inspecting a collection centre in Caracas, where more than 2,000 tons of international aid are sorted for distribution to temporary camps housing victims of the June 24 earthquakes.
“Venezuela never tires of thanking the countries, the peoples of the world, and the governments of the world that have offered a helping hand,” Rodriguez said.
“Each country will be able to see how its aid is being used so that the Venezuelan people feel the friendly helping hand of that country,” she added.
Thanks to the international response to the tragedy, Venezuela knows it is not alone, said Rodriguez. “The most important thing is to look to the future, how we are going to recover, how we are going to rebuild the affected areas.”
The two back-to-back earthquakes that struck central Venezuela caused 3,685 deaths and 16,740 injuries, according to the latest official figures.
–IANS
sd/