Venezuela earthquake death toll climbs to 1,719; UN to deliver 10,000 body bags
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Venezuela earthquake death toll climbs to 1,719; UN to deliver 10,000 body bags")
Photograph: (AFP)
The UN will provide 10,000 body bags to Venezuela as fears grow that the death toll from the twin earthquakes, which flattened neighbourhoods in La Guaira and killed more than 1,700 people, could continue to rise.
The death toll from the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela five days ago has risen to at least 1,719, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday.
Rodriguez said 5,034 people were injured in the earthquakes, while tens of thousands remain missing.
The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, struck on Wednesday evening and were also felt in neighbouring Colombia. They were the deadliest earthquakes to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
A magnitude 4.6 aftershock struck shortly after 7 am local time on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey, raising fresh concerns over the safety of hundreds of buildings already weakened by the earlier tremors.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said 24 countries have sent 521 tonnes of relief supplies, including 86 canine units trained to locate survivors trapped under debris and more than 2,700 search and rescue personnel.
The United States also doubled its assistance on Monday, increasing its aid commitment from $150 million to $300 million.
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Authorities said 774 buildings suffered severe damage in the earthquakes, including 189 structures that completely collapsed.
Meanwhile, the United Nations announced it will provide 10,000 body bags to Venezuela amid fears that the number of deaths could continue to rise, although officials expressed hope that the final toll would remain below that figure.
The twin earthquakes flattened entire neighbourhoods in the coastal state of La Guaira, leaving more than 1,700 people dead and tens of thousands still unaccounted for.
Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, the UN coordinator for Venezuela, said the number of victims is expected to rise beyond the current official count.
"I can give you a proxy indicator. We are procuring, and this is something that has been agreed with the authorities here, 10,000 body bags," Rampolla del Tindaro told a virtual news conference.
"That is somehow applying an assumption, and it's very sad, and we truly hope that actually the number is going to be smaller than that," he said.
Rampolla del Tindaro also praised the international response, saying 27 countries have deployed more than 2,000 rescuers and personnel along with over 160 search dogs.
He said those teams rescued seven people from the rubble on Sunday, four days after the earthquakes struck Venezuela.
