Caracas, Jul 17 (EFE).- The death toll from the Jun. 24 twin earthquakes in Venezuela rose on Friday to 5,069, following the addition of 139 new deaths, reported the president of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez. He also detailed that the number of injured remains at 16,740.
The number of people left homeless remains at 17,907, according to the statement released on the Telegram account of Rodríguez, who is also the brother of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.
According to Rodríguez’s report, authorities have assisted 128,324 families affected by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes, while 21,235 people are currently in 107 temporary shelters.
The report added that since June 24, 1,331 aftershocks have been recorded. The most significant occurred on the morning of July 10, when a 3.9 magnitude quake was recorded 10 kilometers northeast of Naiguatá, in La Guaira state, the area most affected by the double earthquake.
The aftershock a week ago caused panic among the population and preventative evacuations of buildings.
During the weekend, the government announced the beginning of a biometric census to determine the number of homes needed, though it estimates the figure could be around 25,000.
On Tuesday, the Venezuelan Parliament approved a draft law reform to accelerate housing construction in the country following the earthquakes.
The first vice president of the National Assembly, Pedro Infante, explained that this modification to the Law against Real Estate Fraud, which must pass a second debate for final approval, seeks to ensure better conditions with legal certainty and financing capacity for the private sector to initiate an «aggressive process» of housing construction. EFE
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