The number of confirmed victims of the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 2,645, the country's information ministry officially announced.
More than a week after the tragedy, the humanitarian situation remains critical, and rescue operations are gradually slowing down.
According to the latest government balance, at least 12,666 people have been injured. More than 86,000 families have received emergency aid, and the element has directly affected 885 buildings, with 189 of them completely collapsed. The situation is the worst in the coastal city of La Guaira, where entire residential complexes were leveled to the ground.
The scale of the disaster
The two powerful earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale hit the northern part of the country on June 24, 39 seconds apart. The epicenter was in the state of Yaraqui, but the strong tremors caused enormous destruction in Caracas and La Guaira. 890 aftershocks have been recorded so far, further complicating the situation.
The world organization (UN) avoids official estimates of the number of those buried, but according to its sources, up to 50,000 people may be missing. The President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, announced that 6,462 people have been pulled alive from the rubble so far. Among them were several miracles - the rescue of a 9-month-old baby and a 3-year-old child after days under concrete.
International aid and criticism
More than 3,300 international rescuers from 24 countries, including specialized teams from the United States and Jordan, are operating on the ground together with nearly 30,000 local law enforcement and civil defense personnel.
Despite the large-scale mobilization, the interim government, headed by Delcy Rodriguez, is under serious pressure. Local residents in the most affected areas are dissatisfied with the lack of heavy equipment to clear the rubble, which is forcing entire families to dig with their bare hands in search of the bodies of their loved ones. The economic damage from the disaster, according to preliminary UN data, already exceeds $6.7 billion.