Venezuela quakes killed 4333, injured thousands

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez told reporters that the death toll in the two earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela on June 24 increased to 4333 and that housing distribution to those affected will begin next week.

The official said that 315 of the dead have not yet been identified.

The official number of injured remained unchanged at 16,740, while 6,462 people were rescued and approximately 17,000 people were left homeless.

Acting Mayor Delcy Rodriguez will allocate the first 200 homes to those affected next week, Rodriguez said, but did not provide further details. Rodriguez also said 856 buildings were affected, 190 of which either completely collapsed or suffered structural collapse.

According to the government’s preliminary estimates, 25,000 houses are needed. Authorities have already identified approximately 40 plots of land totaling approximately 584,000 square meters for housing projects in Osma and Chuspa.

Rodriguez stated that the search efforts are continuing and said, “As long as there is life, there is hope. We still have one or two regions where the situation remains uncertain, and we have active areas where we are looking for survivors.”