Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, declared this Wednesday seven days of national mourning in tribute to the victims of the devastating earthquakes on June 24, a tragedy that has left thousands dead and injured and has dozens of thousands of people missing.
The measure will come into effect at 6:00 PM on July 2nd and mandates that the national flag be flown at half-mast on all public buildings and military units across the country for one week.
«Venezuela has a torn soul from the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes. Today, we share in the sorrow of the families who have lost their loved ones, and we raise our prayers for the injured, the missing, and the affected communities,» Rodríguez stated while announcing the decree on her social media.
The national mourning is declared a week after the double earthquake that shook the northern part of the country on June 24th. The two quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 and just 39 seconds apart, had their epicenter near San Felipe and were felt across much of the Caribbean.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) classified the second earthquake as the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900 and issued a Red Alert due to its potential human impact. The agency estimates a 42% probability that the final number of fatalities will be between 10,000 and 100,000 people.
The official toll continues to rise. This Wednesday, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, reported that the number of fatalities has reached 2,295, while the injured now total 11,267 and those affected amount to 12,841 individuals.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has estimated that there could be as many as 50,000 missing, while the citizen platform Encuéntralos counted between 55,000 and 60,000 people unaccounted for in the days immediately following the disaster.
Hours before declaring the national mourning, Delcy Rodríguez toured the most affected areas of La Guaira state, where she assured that emergency teams were actively conducting search operations at eight locations with indications of possible survivors.
“We continue to work. At this hour, we have eight active sites where we have detected potential survivors. National and international rescuers are mobilized, along with the health system, to save lives as quickly as possible,” declared.
The official also announced psychological support programs for affected children and an expedited plan for the construction of temporary housing for families who lost their homes.
La Guaira continues to be the area most affected by the tragedy and has been officially declared a disaster. According to the figures released by the authorities, more than 63,000 buildings have suffered damage, of which 434 have completely collapsed and another 750 have serious structural issues.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated the direct damages caused by the earthquakes at around 6.7 billion dollars, equivalent to approximately 6% of Venezuela's gross domestic product.
The emergency has triggered a significant international response. More than 30 countries have sent rescue teams, specialized personnel, and humanitarian aid, while the United States has committed a $150 million assistance package to support response and recovery efforts.
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