PNN – The head of Venezuela’s parliament has announced that the death toll from powerful earthquake in the country last week has reached 1,950.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing The Guardian; in a televised address on Tuesday, Jorge Rodriguez said a total of 10,571 people were injured in the quake.
Thousands of people are still missing in the country, according to Venezuelan officials.
Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey said a relatively strong 4.6-magnitude aftershock shook the Venezuelan capital Caracas and the devastated port city of La Guaira early Monday. Rescue workers are still hoping to pull as many survivors as possible from the rubble in the port city.
Colombia’s Geological Survey put the aftershock at 5.1.
The United Nations said it would provide 10,000 body bags to Venezuelan authorities, with the death toll from the two quakes likely to rise.
The agency, however, expressed hope that the final death toll would not be that high.
The rescue of a man and his teenage son, who were pulled alive from the rubble in La Guaira state on Sunday, brought a brief moment of optimism.
But the chances of survival are dwindling. A Salvadoran rescue worker told AFP: By now, everyone trapped under the rubble is probably dead. Only God willing, we may be able to find those who are still alive.
The 72 hours of rescue for the trapped victims have expired, and tens of thousands are still missing, while millions more are deprived of health services and other basic necessities.
According to some locals, looting has increased in the city of La Guaira, which is located near Venezuela’s main international airport.
Much of the city has been destroyed. Residents said pharmacies, supermarkets and other stores have been looted, and some people have complained of slow and inadequate aid from authorities.
The United Nations has put the cost of the earthquake at $6.7 billion, equivalent to 6 percent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product.
The United States announced on Monday that it would increase its aid from $150 million to $300 million. So far, 24 countries have sent 521 tons of relief supplies, 86 units equipped with sniffer dogs trained to find people trapped under the rubble, and more than 2,700 search and rescue workers to Venezuela.