More than three weeks after the double earthquake that hit Venezuela, the official death toll exceeds 5,000according to a new balance published on Friday by the authorities.
The count, reported by the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguezdimensioned the scope of the tragedy: the death toll grew in recent weeks until reaching 5,069while the number of injured remained at 16,740.
The disaster marked one of the most serious episodes in the country’s recent history and placed the impact of the earthquakes among the deadliest in Latin America in recent years.
On June 24, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 They shook at least seven Venezuelan states almost at the same time. The consequences included the collapse of buildings, the destruction of essential infrastructure and the interruption of basic services such as water and electricity. La Guairathe coastal state neighboring Caracas, concentrated the greatest destruction: entire communities lost their homes and their source of work.
The number of victims grew steadily. According to data released by the authorities, 17,907 people were left homeless and are staying in makeshift shelters, between schools, stadiums and parks, while 21,235 remain in 107 temporary camps. The direct impact reached 128,324 familieswho received care and assistance in the weeks following the disaster.
During the rescue efforts, teams extracted more than 6,400 people alive. Despite these efforts, the emergency left at least 300 bodies still unidentifiedaccording to figures provided to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and humanitarian organizations.
Authorities collected DNA samples and arranged for burial in a cemetery in La Guairawith the expectation that in the future they can be identified and returned to their families.
On the other hand, the Venezuelan Government did not publish an official list of missing persons. However, sectors of the opposition estimated about 30,000 people not locateda figure that maintains concern among those looking for relatives or acquaintances. In addition, since June 24, 1,331 replicasincluding an earthquake of magnitude 3.9 on July 10, which caused panic and evacuations in Naiguataone of the most affected towns in La Guaira.
On a material level, the devastation reached unprecedented levels. The Government of Venezuela and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimated that the volume of debris generated by the earthquakes amounted to 2,106,000 tonsof which 1,529,000 correspond to construction materials and the rest to personal property.
“There is no reference in the world, as international organizations have told us, of this volume of waste in other emergencies and tragedies worldwide,” said the Minister of Ecosocialism (Environment), Nelson Rodríguez in an interview with the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
Source: Infobae
