July 5 (UPI) — The death toll from the double-tap earthquake that struck Venezuela last month has risen to 3,342, officials reported Sunday.
In addition to the deaths, the number of injured has soared to 16,740, president of the Venezuelan Parliament Jorge Rodríguez said in a social media post.
He also reported that 6,462 people have been rescued and 17,345 have been made homeless as 79 temporary camps were established in the aftermath of the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24.
“We continue to accompany the affected families,” Rodríguez said. “We supervise the transitional camps in Los Caracas and advance in planning more optimal spaces, for the care and well-being of girls and boys after the earthquakes.”
There have been 995 aftershocks as more than 4,000 rescue workers remain on duty, he added.
The United Nations’ World Food Program said it is expanding its food assistance mainly in the La Guaira area, which was hit the hardest in the quakes. Some 5,000 people have received food assistance since the response began, the agency reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV commemorated the victims of the Venezuelan earthquake at the Vatican following the Angelus prayer.
“I continue to remember in my prayers the victims of the earthquake and all the Venezuelan people,” the pontiff said. “May the Lord sustain them in this time of great hardship.”
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