Death toll from Venezuela's June 24 earthquakes surpasses 6,000

Washington, Aug 3 (KUNA) — Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced on Monday that the death toll from the two earthquakes that struck the country in late June has risen to 6,125. In a statement, Rodriguez said that “emergency teams managed to rescue 6,642 people” following the earthquakes and their aftershocks, adding that “60,992 people required medical treatment in hospitals across Venezuela.” Regarding the housing sector, he clarified that authorities had assessed more than 40,000 housing units, finding that 25,325 were habitable, 9,866 were placed under use restrictions, and 6,433 were classified as posing a “high risk.” Rodriguez noted that the government had so far delivered 287 new homes to displaced families, and that debris removal operations had made significant progress, with teams collecting approximately 16.5 percent of the estimated total volume of rubble. It is recalled that two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck Venezuela in June, causing severe damage and prompting the declaration of a national state of emergency. (End) R.S.R./F.A.S.