Venezuela quake death toll crosses 5,000 as rescue and relief efforts continue

The death toll from the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 5,069, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said.

According to an official update released on Telegram, on Friday, by Rodriguez, the number of injured remained at 16,740, while 6,462 people had been rescued.

The update said 21,235 people were staying in 107 temporary camps set up in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and the central states of La Guaira, Miranda and Aragua.

Since the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck more than three weeks ago, authorities have recorded 1,331 aftershocks.

Earlier, Rodriguez said 94 temporary camps have been set up so far.

La Guaira, the coastal state where the two quakes caused the most damage, has 10,981 people in shelters, while Caracas has 6,133 and the central state of Miranda has 1,323, he said.

Earlier, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez expressed gratitude for the humanitarian aid provided by 28 countries to support victims of the country's recent quakes.

She made the remarks after inspecting a collection centre in Caracas, where more than 2,000 tons of international aid are sorted for distribution to temporary camps housing victims of the June 24 earthquakes.

"Venezuela never tires of thanking the countries, the peoples of the world, and the governments of the world that have offered a helping hand," Rodriguez said.

"Each country will be able to see how its aid is being used so that the Venezuelan people feel the friendly helping hand of that country," she added.

Thanks to the international response to the tragedy, Venezuela knows it is not alone, said Rodriguez. "The most important thing is to look to the future, how we are going to recover, how we are going to rebuild the affected areas."

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