Venezuela quake death toll rises to 2,595; UNDP estimates $6.7 billion in damage

According to CNBC, the death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela rose to 2,595, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Friday, up 300 from the previous day, with more than 12,000 injured as rescue operations continued more than a week after the country’s strongest tremors in over a century. A magnitude 7.2 quake was followed seconds later by a 7.5 mainshock last Wednesday, flattening buildings across Caracas and La Guaira and severely damaging Simón Bolívar International Airport; authorities said nearly 800 buildings collapsed, including 189 completely destroyed, while a preliminary satellite analysis by NASA and Oregon State University researchers estimated about 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed. The United Nations Development Programme projected direct physical damage at $6.7 billion, about 6% of GDP, and Verisk estimated total economic losses of more than $10 billion; the government said the quakes caused only minor delays at oil terminals, with exports appearing largely steady, and it was inspecting state-run PDVSA’s Catia La Mar fuel terminal for damage.