Venezuela earthquakes death toll climbs past 4,300

CARACAS — The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes last month has climbed above 4,300, a senior lawmaker said on Saturday.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, said the death toll had climbed to 4,333 from 4,118 reported 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.

READ: Venezuela quake survivors seek food as toll hits nearly 2,000

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.

READ: Venezuela earthquakes: An unexpected story of survival

Rodriguez did not say how many people were still unaccounted for, but the United Nations has estimated that 50,000 people are still missing.

He rejected the idea that the government would suspend the search for bodies amid families’ fears that the rubble would be cleared indiscriminately.

Initial government estimates indicate that about 25,000 homes will be needed to house people.

Rodriguez said the government will begin providing some apartments to families in coming days that were under construction before the quake.

But he added that significant resources will be needed to build more, provide rental assistance and offer loans for property purchases.

The government has allocated more than 40 plots of land in La Guaira, totaling about 584,000 square meters, for the construction of new homes, Rodriguez said.

He explained that the land is located on safe plains away from the coastal area, where hundreds of buildings were damaged and more than 180 collapsed completely.

Also, interim President Delcy Rodriguez this week asked Britain’s King Charles III to release Venezuela’s gold reserves, which are currently being held at the Bank of England.

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