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Venezuela Quakes Kill More Than 5,200 as Response Shifts From Rescue to Reconstruction

Rescue teams are concentrating on recovering victims, prompting officials to launch a funded housing and debris-removal plan for the worst-hit coastal areas.

Overview

  • Two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have left an official toll of 5,208 dead and 16,740 injured.
  • Authorities say live rescues have tapered after weeks of operations, with 6,462 people rescued alive so far and teams now focused on recovering and identifying victims from rubble.
  • An estimated 23,820 people are living in 107 temporary camps while officials report about 856 buildings affected and 190 collapsed, and Funvisis has recorded roughly 1,388 aftershocks since the quake.
  • The government has mobilized more than 62,000 personnel and volunteers, distributed over 35.6 million liters of water and about 11,000 tonnes of food, and plans to remove over two million tonnes of debris as part of remediation efforts.
  • Acting president Delcy Rodríguez pledged to deliver 4,000 homes by December and more than 10,000 next year, and officials announced access to about $346 million of IMF reserve funds to finance initial reconstruction.