Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 6,125 as thousands remain displaced and relief work continues

The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 6125 according to the latest official update released by National Assembly President Jorge RodriguezIn an update shared on his Telegram channel on Monday Rodriguez said rescue teams have saved 6462 people since the disaster while 60992 people have received treatment at hospitals across the countryThe two powerful earthquakes measuring magnitude 72 and 75 struck western and central Venezuela on June 24 The epicentres were located in the western state of Yaracuy and the central coastal state of La Guaira respectively The earthquakes caused widespread destruction with La Guaira emerging as one of the worstaffected regionsThousands displaced as damage assessment continuesAuthorities said thousands of residents remain displaced as inspections of damaged buildings continue across affected areasAccording to the official update the government has handed over 287 newly built homes to families who lost their houses in the earthquakes Officials have also assessed 43679 buildings to determine whether they are safe for occupationThe Venezuelan government is using a colourcoded trafficlight system to classify buildings based on their structural condition Buildings marked with green tags are considered safe for occupation yellow tags indicate restricted access because of safety concerns and red tags identify structures that are deemed unsafe and could face demolition following further technical assessmentsThe classification system is intended to help authorities prioritise rehabilitation work while ensuring the safety of residents returning to affected communitiesShelters continue to house displaced residentsGovernment officials said thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters more than a month after the earthquakesAccording to figures released earlier by Jorge Rodriguez La Guaira has the highest number of displaced residents with 10981 people staying in relief shelters Caracas has 6133 displaced people while 1323 people remain in temporary accommodation in the central state of MirandaAuthorities said relief operations are continuing with efforts focused on providing housing medical care food supplies and other essential services to those affected by the disasterInternational aid supports relief operationsEarlier Venezuelas acting President Delcy Rodriguez thanked the international community for extending humanitarian assistance following the earthquakesSpeaking after inspecting a collection centre in Caracas where more than 2000 tonnes of international aid are being sorted for distribution to temporary camps she acknowledged the support provided by 28 countriesVenezuela never tires of thanking the countries the peoples of the world and the governments of the world that have offered a helping hand Rodriguez saidEach country will be able to see how its aid is being used so that the Venezuelan people feel the friendly helping hand of that country she addedGovernment focuses on longterm reconstructionRodriguez said the international response had demonstrated that Venezuela was not facing the crisis alone and stressed that the governments priority was now shifting towards rebuilding affected communitiesThanks to the international response to the tragedy Venezuela knows it is not alone she said The most important thing is to look to the future how we are going to recover how we are going to rebuild the affected areasAuthorities have indicated that rescue rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts will continue in the coming months as the country works to restore infrastructure and support thousands of families affected by one of Venezuelas deadliest natural disasters in recent yearsWith inputs from IANS