The two earthquakes that hit Venezuela in June caused the death of 6,438 people, according to the latest official toll announced yesterday by Parliament President Jorge Rodriguez, which marks a further increase compared to the 6,301 deaths recorded last week. Nearly two months later, relatives and rescuers continue to search for the missing among the rubble caused by the two quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, which destroyed at least 190 buildings.
According to authorities, at least 60,000 homes have been partially damaged, and 24,000 have been rendered uninhabitable. Thousands of Venezuelan residents remain in temporary camps, where conditions are precarious: over the weekend, in Caracas, heavy rains destroyed some of the tents housing the victims. The government of interim president Delcy Rodriguez has promised housing for those affected: to date, 335 homes out of the 4,000 promised by the end of the year have been made available.
