CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s official death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck the country last month rose to 4,490 on Sunday, while more than 19,500 displaced residents remained in temporary shelters, authorities said.
The government reported that 16,740 people were injured but did not provide an updated figure for those still missing.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira on June 24, destroying residential buildings and displacing thousands of families.
Temporary camps have been established in stadiums, public plazas and sidewalks across La Guaira and nearby Caracas to house people who lost their homes.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government will begin assigning apartments that were already under construction to affected families in the coming days. He added that additional resources will be needed to build more housing, provide rental assistance and offer housing loans.
Rodriguez said the government has designated more than 40 land parcels covering about 584,000 square meters in La Guaira for new housing projects.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil also announced that a shipment of humanitarian aid from Russia had arrived, while the U.S. Embassy said it had delivered 100,000 aid kits to communities affected by the disaster.
