Caracas, Aug 18 (IANS) The Venezuelan government updated the official toll from the June 24 twin earthquakes, reporting that the death toll had risen to 6,438, up 137 from the previous week.
The bulletin on Monday said 335 homes had been delivered to affected families, and 59,109 buildings had been inspected to determine whether they were safe for habitation.
Of the buildings assessed, 34,680 were found to be habitable, 13,733 were classified as having restricted access, and 10,696 were considered high-risk, reports Xinhua news agency.
Earlier update said that the Authorities have delivered more than 287 homes to families affected by the earthquakes and evaluated 43,679 buildings across the country.
The Venezuelan government has used a traffic-light tagging system to assess building habitability. Green tags indicate habitable structures, yellow tags mark restricted access, while red tags identify high-risk buildings that may be subject to demolition.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, with epicenters in the western state of Yaracuy and the central state of La Guaira, respectively.
La Guaira, the coastal state where the two quakes caused the most damage, has 10,981 people in shelters, while Caracas has 6,133 and the central state of Miranda has 1,323, Rodriguez said earlier.
Earlier, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez expressed gratitude for the humanitarian aid provided by 28 countries to support victims of the country’s recent quakes.
She made the remarks after inspecting a collection centre in Caracas, where more than 2,000 tons of international aid are sorted for distribution to temporary camps housing victims of the June 24 earthquakes.
“Venezuela never tires of thanking the countries, the peoples of the world, and the governments of the world that have offered a helping hand,” Rodriguez said.
–IANS
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