Caracas, July 9 (IANS) 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 center in Caracas, where more than 2,000 tonnes 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, Xinhua news agency reported.
A total of 17,907 people have been left homeless, according to the update released on Rodriguez’s Telegram channel.
Since the twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck on June 24, Venezuela has recorded 1,076 aftershocks, according to the update.
An official report earlier said 17,345 people were also displaced, reports Xinhua news agency.
Authorities have also set up 80 temporary camps to assist displaced and affected people.
According to Saturday’s update, 29,567 rescuers remain deployed to search for survivors, including 3,281 from abroad.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez declared seven days of national mourning last week in tribute to the victims of the powerful earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
“In honour of the memory of the victims, I have decided to decree National Mourning for seven (7) days, starting at 6:00 p.m. today,” Rodriguez wrote in a statement posted on social media.
She said that “in these moments of profound sadness, we embrace those who suffer from this tragedy and reaffirm our commitment to accompany and protect them.”
“Venezuela’s soul is torn by the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes,” Rodriguez added.
Authorities said that tens of thousands still missing.
Meanwhile, Indian medical teams continue to provide humanitarian support to the people affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela under ‘Operation Amistad’. Survivors and their families have expressed heartfelt gratitude for the treatment and care being extended in the Indian Army’s Field Hospital.
–IANS
jk/