Death toll from Venezuela quakes rises to over 3,000 as nation marks its 215th independence day
The death toll from Venezuela’s twin quakes has risen to 3,342, according to numbers released by the Venezuelan information ministry on Sunday.
The new tally also puts the number of injured at 16,470, while the number of homeless has risen to 17,345.
Earlier in the day, in a speech commemorating Venezuela’s 215th independence day, Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez defended the government’s actions following the quakes amid growing frustration over what many have called a delayed and inadequate response to the disaster.
Rodriguez said she deployed security forces immediately and announced the creation of a new military unit to help deal with emergencies and disasters.
Civilians of all stripes – including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams – have descended on disaster areas since the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes struck on June 24.
On Saturday, the government said that nearly 30,000 officials have been deployed alongside 3,281 international rescue workers to help people affected by the quakes.
Nearly 200 buildings are confirmed to have collapsed, according to state officials.
Over 41,000 missing after earthquakes
Some of the homeless are living in official shelters and others in tent encampments. An unofficial but widely used tally of the missing stands at just over 41,000.
The field hospital, part of the US State Department’s coordination with several groups providing aid in Venezuela, has treated some 400 patients so far, said its medical director Peter Holz, including surgeries that are set to number nearly 30 by Saturday evening.
“In the beginning it’s all trauma from the earthquake, then we will have follow-up surgical visits,” Holz said, as he stood inside the hospital’s pharmacy, erected over what is normally a baseball field.
Gradually, the Samaritan’s Purse 100-person team will hand over operations to local doctors, either continuing to operate at the field site, or integrating all their equipment and supplies into local clinics where they will remain for good, he said.
“It will develop more into a community health center,” Holz added. “There’s a lot of sad stories but also a lot of hope in the midst of all of it.”
Many of those digging through the rubble, along with international aid organizations, say the government’s response was slow and ineffectual, with aid such as food and medical supplies delayed and a persistent lack of heavy machinery to move debris amid search operations.
