Venezuela earthquake death toll surpasses 2,200; over 11,000 injured

The number of fatalities from two powerful earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela a week ago has climbed to 2,295, with 11,267 individuals injured and 12,841 people displaced, according to Parliament President Jorge Rodríguez. The government has confirmed the rescue of 6,461 people by a force of over 4,000 rescuers, while maintaining that "hope remains intact."

Rodríguez reported that 782 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial seismic events. However, he noted a decrease in the frequency and intensity of these tremors over the past two days, suggesting that "the threat appears to be diminishing, but has not disappeared."

In response to the devastation, the government has established 25 temporary camps for those who lost their homes, with the majority located in the hardest-hit La Guaira region. Other camps are situated in Caracas, Miranda, Carabobo, and Yaracuy. Affected individuals are being encouraged to register with the government's online system, Patria, to expedite assistance with housing and temporary accommodation in the capital.

This double earthquake marks the deadliest seismic event in Venezuela in a century, surpassing the 1967 Caracas earthquake that killed 245 people. The recent tremors impacted Caracas and six other northern states, with La Guaira, a coastal area previously devastated by a landslide in 1999, suffering the most severe damage. Preliminary assessments by NASA, using satellite imagery, suggest that approximately 58,870 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed across the affected region.