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Venezuela quake toll rises
Venezuela’s government raised the death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck on June 24 to 2,645, while the number of injured rose to 12,666, Jorge Rodríguez said in a government-reported update.
“Venezuela earthquakes latest: Death toll climbs as rescuers continue searching At least 2,595 have died as a result of last week's earthquakes, officials said”
Delcy Rodríguez, described as the president encargada’s brother in the report, published the balance on Telegram and said 15,050 people were left without housing and that 86,117 families had been attended.
The same update said 6,462 people had been rescued and that 885 buildings were affected, including 189 that were totally collapsed, with 59 transitory camps enabled.
The earthquakes were described as magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, and the report said 890 aftershocks had been recorded since the double quake.
A separate report said the death toll climbed to 2,595 and that the increase was 300 from the previous day, with Acting President Delcy Rodríguez speaking as rescue operations continued for more than a week.
Hospitals fear wider crisis
Doctors said the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes could trigger a widening medical crisis marked by untreated injuries, infectious diseases, and a healthcare system already on the brink.
Eugenio Cova, head of the trauma unit at Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in Caracas, said, "The issue we foresee just around the corner is the infections that patients who have been exposed to the disaster for the longest time might bring."
Veronique Durroux, a U.N. humanitarian agency spokesperson for Latin America and the Caribbean, warned, "Waste management is an issue. Debris management, when you see the scale of devastation, it’s very concerning."
The reports said thousands of displaced Venezuelans were sleeping in crowded shelters or outside without access to clean water amid dismal sanitary conditions after the quakes.
The U.S. response was described as including 900 military personnel on the ground as of Wednesday, with Steven McLoud, a U.S. Southern Command spokesperson, saying the military repaired an earthquake-damaged runway at the country’s main international airport serving Caracas.
Missing people and aid
As the death toll continued to rise, ABC News said nearly 50,000 people remained unaccounted for after the pair of earthquakes that struck on June 24, with acting President Delcy Rodriguez saying at least 2,595 people had died and another 12,400 were injured.
“Caracas, Venezuela – A week after twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the country is only beginning to process the tragedy”
CNN reported that a forensic pathologist in La Guaira processing around 400 bodies a day believed the government death toll was "not even a third of what is actually there," and said refrigerated trucks had no more room.
The same CNN report quoted opposition politician María Corina Machado accusing the government of downplaying the level of destruction, while it described Venezuelans abroad constructing unofficial avenues to report missing people.
NPR said the U.N. agreed with Venezuela’s government to procure 10,000 body bags, and Gianluca Rampolla said, "we truly hope that actually the number is going to be smaller than that."
NPR also described the humanitarian need as including shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare and other relief items, and said an analysis of satellite data estimated 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed.
