Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes rises above 4,100
The death toll from the double earthquake that struck Venezuela has risen above 4,100, with more than 16,700 people injured, according to updated figures released by the Venezuelan government.
The government’s latest official update, released on Friday, listed 4,118 deaths, an increase of 229 from Thursday. The number of injured was unchanged at 16,740. The latest toll comes more than two weeks after the earthquakes struck west of Caracas.
Officials said 6,462 people were rescued since the earthquakes struck near Montalbán on June 24, in an event the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has described as a doublet. The first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 and was followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 quake.
The government said 29,966 patients have been treated, up from 28,836 on Thursday. It also reported that 86,794 families have received assistance, while 17,907 people have been left homeless.
At least 1,171 aftershocks have been recorded, an increase of 29 from Thursday’s update.
The disaster is now the 13th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century, behind the magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island in September 2018. That disaster devastated the city of Palu and surrounding areas, killing more than 4,300 people.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
