Venezuela earthquake death toll climbs to 6,125, says government

The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June has risen to 6,125, according to the latest official figures released by the country's National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez.

In an update shared on his Telegram channel on Monday, Rodriguez said 6,462 people had been rescued since the disaster, while nearly 61,000 people had received medical treatment for earthquake-related injuries.

Relief and rehabilitation efforts are continuing across the affected regions. Authorities have so far handed over 287 newly built homes to displaced families and carried out safety inspections of 43,679 buildings nationwide.

Officials are using a colour-coded system to determine whether damaged structures are safe for occupation. Buildings marked with green tags have been declared habitable, yellow tags indicate restricted access, while red tags identify structures considered unsafe and potentially requiring demolition.

The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck western Yaracuy state and the central coastal state of La Guaira on 24 June, causing widespread destruction across several parts of the country.

La Guaira remains the worst-affected region, with 10,981 people still living in temporary shelters. The capital, Caracas, has 6,133 displaced residents in relief camps, while 1,323 people remain sheltered in Miranda state.

Earlier, acting President Delcy Rodriguez thanked the international community for its humanitarian assistance following the disaster. Speaking after visiting a relief collection centre in Caracas, she said aid from 28 countries had helped support victims and would continue to play a vital role in the recovery effort.

More than 2,000 tonnes of international relief supplies are being sorted and distributed from the capital to temporary shelters housing those displaced by the earthquakes.

Rodriguez said Venezuela remained grateful to countries that had extended support during the crisis and stressed that transparency would be maintained so donor nations could see how their assistance was being utilised.

She added that while emergency relief remained a priority, the government's long-term focus would now shift towards rebuilding devastated communities and restoring the affected areas.

With IANS inputs