Death toll in Venezuela earthquakes surpasses 4,300
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes last month has topped 4,300, a top lawmaker said Saturday.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez — the brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez — put the toll at 4,333, up from 4,118 on Friday.
On June 24, the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes hit Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, flattening entire high-rise apartment blocks into layers of rubble.
Camps for families left homeless have sprung up in stadiums, plazas and on sidewalks. More than 19,000 people are currently living in those camps, Rodriguez said.
Venezuelan and foreign volunteers are providing medical care in tents set up in open areas and distributing food.
Rodriguez did not say how many people were still unaccounted for.
