Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 6,125 after 10-day gap in updates
The death toll from the double earthquake that struck Venezuela in June has risen to 6,125, according to the first official update in more than a week. More than 60,000 people have been treated at hospitals.
The figures released Monday showed an increase of 579 deaths from the previous update on July 24, when the toll stood at 5,546. The government said 60,992 people had been treated at hospitals and 6,462 were rescued in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes.
Monday’s update came after the Venezuelan government suddenly stopped releasing daily figures, which had been provided without interruption since the disaster. No updates were issued for 10 days.
The government has not provided a figure for the number of people who remain missing. Local media reports and crowdsourced efforts indicate that the number could be in the thousands or possibly tens of thousands.
The earthquakes struck 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 an epicenter near Yaracuy state. It was followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake near Vargas state, close to Caracas.
With the new toll, the disaster now ranks as the 10th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century, behind the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
