Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 6,438 as authorities inspect 59,109 buildings

The Venezuelan government has raised the official death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24 to 6438 an increase of 137 from the previous weeks figureThe latest government bulletin released on Monday also provided an update on reconstruction and safety assessments in areas affected by the earthquakes Authorities said 335 homes had been handed over to affected families while 59109 buildings had been inspected to determine whether they were safe for habitationThousands of buildings assessed for safetyOf the buildings inspected 34680 were classified as habitable while 13733 were placed under restrictedaccess status Another 10696 buildings were categorised as highriskThe government has been using a trafficlight tagging system to assess the condition of buildings affected by the earthquakes Under the system green tags indicate that a structure is habitable yellow tags indicate restricted access and red tags identify buildings considered highrisk and potentially subject to demolitionThe latest assessment represents a substantial increase in the number of buildings inspected compared with the previous update when authorities had reported that 43679 structures had been evaluated across the countryRelief and housing efforts continueAuthorities have also continued efforts to provide housing to families displaced by the earthquakesThe latest bulletin said 335 homes had been delivered to affected families An earlier update had put the number of homes handed over at more than 287The housing programme is part of the governments response to the damage caused by the twin earthquakes which left thousands of people dependent on temporary accommodation and relief assistanceOfficials have been assessing buildings to determine whether residents can safely return to their homes or whether alternative accommodation is requiredPowerful earthquakes struck on June 24The two earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24 with magnitudes of 72 and 75 Their epicentres were reported in the western state of Yaracuy and the central coastal state of La Guaira respectivelyLa Guaira suffered the most extensive damage from the two earthquakes and continued to account for a large number of people living in temporary sheltersAccording to figures cited earlier by Venezuelan authorities 10981 people were staying in shelters in La Guaira Caracas had 6133 people in shelters while 1323 people were staying in shelters in the central state of MirandaThe scale of displacement has increased the pressure on authorities to assess damaged structures provide housing and maintain relief operations in affected communitiesInternational aid reaches affected communitiesVenezuela has also received humanitarian assistance from several countries following the earthquakesEarlier Venezuelas acting President Delcy Rodriguez expressed gratitude to 28 countries that provided aid to support people affected by the disasterRodriguez made the remarks while inspecting an aid collection centre in Caracas where more than 2000 tonnes of international assistance were being sorted for distribution to temporary camps housing people affected by the June 24 earthquakesVenezuela never tires of thanking the countries the peoples of the world and the governments of the world that have offered a helping hand Rodriguez saidThe international assistance includes supplies being processed at the Caracas collection centre before being sent to temporary camps and other locations where affected families are stayingGovernment continues damage assessmentThe latest figures indicate that authorities are continuing to expand their assessment of buildings and living conditions in areas affected by the earthquakesOf the 59109 buildings inspected so far more than half have been deemed habitable while a significant number have either been placed under restricted access or classified as highriskWith inputs from IANS