The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes climbed to nearly 4,500 on Sunday, as the government reported more than 19,500 people now living in camps because of the destruction.
The government’s latest update, posted to its official Telegram account, listed 4,490 dead, about 150 more than the day before, and 16,740 injured.
The update did not estimate how many people remained unaccounted for.
On 24 June, magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, flattening entire high-rise apartment blocks into layers of rubble.
Camps for families left homeless have sprung up in stadiums, plazas and on sidewalks in La Guaira as well as nearby Caracas.
Sunday’s government update said 19,583 people were living in the camps.
On Saturday, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, brother of interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, said the government would begin providing some apartments to families in the coming days — units that were under construction before the quake.
But he added that the government will need significant resources to build more homes, provide rental assistance and offer loans for property purchases.
The government has allocated more than 40 plots of land in La Guaira, totalling about 584,000 square meters, for the construction of new homes, Rodríguez said.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, meanwhile, reported on his Telegram account on Sunday that an aid shipment from Russia had arrived.
The US Embassy said it has delivered 100,000 aid kits to the affected communities.