The death toll from the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 4,333, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Saturday, as authorities prepare to begin distributing housing to people affected by the disaster.
Rodriguez said 315 of those killed have not yet been identified. The official number of injured remained unchanged at 16,740, while 6,462 people have been rescued and around 17,000 have been left homeless.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez will allocate the first 200 homes to affected families next week, Jorge Rodriguez said. He did not provide further details about the distribution plan.
Authorities said 856 buildings were affected by the earthquakes, including 190 that either collapsed completely or suffered structural collapse. Preliminary government estimates indicate that 25,000 homes are needed.
Officials have already identified around 40 plots of land, covering about 584,000 square meters, for housing projects in Osma and Chuspa.
Search operations are continuing in some areas. “As long as there is life, there is hope,” Rodriguez said, adding that teams were still working at one or two active sites where the situation remained uncertain.
