Death Toll from Venezuela Earthquake Tops 5,000... Injuries Reach 16,740

[Financial News] The death toll from the earthquake in Venezuela has now exceeded 5,000. The number of injured has been tallied at 16,740.
According to foreign media reports on the 18th, National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez announced that the official death toll had reached 5,069 as of that day. He added that the identities of more than 300 of the victims had not yet been confirmed.
Although the Venezuelan government has not released official statistics on the missing, opposition estimates put the number of people unaccounted for at more than 30,000. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has also projected that the death toll could reach as many as 100,000. More than 20,000 displaced residents are living in temporary shelters, but those facilities are reportedly lacking adequate drinking water and sanitation.
Amid these concerns, there are also fears that El Niño could inflict even greater damage on displaced residents. El Niño is a phenomenon in which sea surface temperatures near the equator rise above normal, causing major shifts in weather patterns. It can trigger extreme weather events such as typhoons, floods and droughts.
The United Nations (UN) estimated that the direct physical damage from the earthquake will amount to $6.7 billion, or about 9.983 trillion won. If indirect losses are included, the total damage could be up to three times higher.
Meanwhile, two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on the 24th of last month. The quakes caused severe damage in La Guaira State, a coastal area north of the capital, Caracas.

kjh0109@fnnews.com Kwon Jun-ho Reporter