India, July 7 -- A new UN estimate puts direct physical damage caused by the earthquakes in Venezuela at $37 billion.
The two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck the north-central region of Venezuela on June 24, just 39 seconds apart. A first assessment by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at around $37 billion.
That figure includes around $24 billion in damage to buildings - homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and public facilities - and another $13 billion in infrastructure.
Within that latter category, telecommunications sustained the heaviest losses, at around $5 billion, followed by energy generation and roads.
The estimate is based on risk modelling...