Devastating Venezuela quake claims over 5,200 lives, toll continues to rise

The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Venezuela has risen to 5,278, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said on Telegram.

According to a daily government report published by Rodríguez, 16,740 people were injured, while 17,907 residents were left homeless. A total of 190 buildings were completely destroyed, and 856 sustained major damage, Caliber.Az reports.

During search and rescue operations, 6,462 people were rescued, while 41,069 received medical treatment. Assistance was provided to 128,324 families, with 23,587 people housed in 107 temporary shelters. Authorities have also delivered 10,964.97 tonnes of food supplies to those affected.

The earthquake struck Venezuela on the evening of June 24. Two series of tremors with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 were recorded approximately 40 seconds apart. Their epicentres were located about 10 kilometres from each other in Yaracuy state. A total of 1,405 aftershocks have been recorded since the earthquake.

By Jeyhun Aghazada