Venezuela earthquakes death toll jumps to more than 3,500

Experts warn of an impending health crisis, with thousands sleeping in crowded temporary shelters.More than 3,500 people have died after a pair of earthquakes struck Venezuela last week, while nearly 18,000 people remain unhoused.The death toll from Venezuela’s twin earthquakes now sits at 3,535, with lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez saying on Monday that the latest official tally showed 16,740 people injured and 17,854 left without housing. At least 12,800 people were staying in 80 shelters across Caracas and La Guaira, the coastal regions most directly impacted by the earthquake.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How conflict minerals fuel war in eastern DR Congo amid US sanctionslist 2 of 3Venezuelan leader marks Independence Day with message of ‘no social unrest’list 3 of 3How a son rescued his father from the rubble of Venezuela’s earthquakesend of listIn La Guaira on Monday, witnesses told the Reuters news agency that they saw trucks and forensic workers transporting coffins while machinery dug trenches in an open area marked by white crosses where authorities were burying bodies.A drone view of coffins on the day of the burial of earthquake victims, in the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes, at La Esperanza Cemetery, in La Guaira, Venezuela [Adriano Machado/Reuters]The June 24 earthquakes, which measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck within seconds of each other in and around Caracas and La Guaira.An estimated 60,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.Experts have also warned of a widening health crisis as thousands of displaced Venezuelans sleep in crowded temporary shelters or outside without access to clean water. Thousands have untreated injuries and infectious diseases, with the country’s healthcare system struggling to cope.“The issue we foresee just around the corner is the infections that patients who have been exposed to the disaster for the longest time might bring,” Eugenio Cova, the head of the trauma unit at Hospital Jose Gregorio Hernandez in Caracas, said last week.