As the death toll from successive powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela has surpassed 1,700, the United Nations has moved to secure 10,000 body bags (bags for collecting remains).
On the 29th (local time), according to the New York Times (NYT) and others, National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez of Venezuela said in a televised address that 1,719 deaths have been officially confirmed so far from the series of strong earthquakes that occurred on the 24th. That is 269 more than the 1,450 announced the previous day. So far, 5,034 have been injured, and 15,866 have been displaced.
Speaker Rodríguez said that more than 600 aftershocks have occurred through the day following the successive powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5. On the morning of the day, a magnitude 4.6 aftershock also struck, and residents in the capital Caracas felt strong shaking.
Damage to buildings is also continuing to grow. So far, 855 buildings nationwide have been damaged, of which 189 have completely collapsed. The government said the scale of the damage is continuing to increase.
With 72 hours, considered the "golden time" for rescuing survivors after an earthquake, having passed, the Venezuelan government and the United Nations are preparing for the possibility that the number of victims will increase further.
Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, the United Nations resident coordinator in Venezuela, said at a virtual briefing held at the U.N. Headquarters in New York on the day, "In cooperation with the Venezuelan government, we are securing 10,000 body bags."
Del Tindaro said, "This is a contingency plan assuming the worst-case scenario, which is very regrettable," and added, "We sincerely hope the actual number of victims will be much lower."
Currently, 40 search and rescue teams composed of about 2,000 rescuers dispatched from 27 countries have been deployed on the ground to continue searching for the missing and conducting rescue operations.
The United Nations also expressed concern about the potential for additional damage. Coordinator del Tindaro said, "A tropical wave with heavy rain is expected to reach Venezuela within the next few hours," adding, "People who have already lost their homes and are evacuating could suffer further damage."