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Venezuelan Government Reports 5,209 Dead in Twin Earthquakes
The June 24 quakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck coastal towns near Caracas and left more than 16,700 injured and 18,000 homeless. United Nations agencies put the affected population at 650,000, including 230,000 children.
Jul 19, 9:48 PM·1m read1 source
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The Venezuelan government reported on July 19 that 5,209 people died in twin earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24. Le Monde reported that the quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, hit Caraballeda, La Guaira and neighboring communities about 40 kilometers from Caracas.
United Nations agencies said the disasters affected 650,000 people, including 230,000 children, and estimated that the number of missing could approach 50,000.
More than three weeks later, Avenida José-Maria-España in Caraballeda remains littered with debris and blocked by uprooted trees. The death toll continues to rise as bodies are recovered from collapsed buildings. On the afternoon of July 14, residents lined up at Plaza de Tanaguarena in Caraballeda for donations distributed by Global Empowerment Mission.
Ziomara Garcia, 53, a national education worker and mother of four, waited in line for two hours. "I need this aid for my two youngest children," Garcia said. Her home sustained cracks in the walls but was not destroyed.
