Venezuela quake death toll rises to 4,333, official says

The death toll from the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 4,333, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez told reporters Saturday.

Rodriguez said 315 of the dead have not yet been identified. The official injury count remained unchanged at 16,740, while 6,462 people have been rescued and about 17,000 have been left homeless.

Rodriguez said acting President Delcy Rodriguez will allocate the first 200 homes to affected residents next week, though he gave no further details. He said 856 buildings were affected, including 190 that either collapsed completely or suffered structural collapse.

According to the government’s preliminary estimates, 25,000 homes are needed. Authorities have identified around 40 plots of land, totaling about 584,000 square meters, for housing projects in Osma and Chuspa.

Rodriguez said search operations are continuing. “As long as there is life, there is hope,” he said. “We still have one or two sites where the situation remains uncertain, active sites where we are searching for survivors.”

This is a developing story.