Play store
The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has risen to more than 4,100, as rescue efforts give way to a massive recovery operation in the disaster-stricken country.
According to the Venezuelan government, at least 4,118 people have been killed and 16,740 others injured in the powerful earthquakes that struck on June 24, devastating large parts of the coastal state of La Guaira. The updated figures were shared by parliament chief Jorge Rodríguez on Friday.
Thousands of people are still reported missing, raising fears that the death toll could climb further.
The disaster was triggered by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, followed just 39 seconds later by an even stronger 7.5-magnitude quake, the most powerful to hit Venezuela in more than a century. The back-to-back tremors reduced entire apartment buildings and neighbourhoods to rubble.
Although official search-and-rescue operations have ended, many families continue searching through the debris in hopes of recovering the bodies of missing relatives for a proper burial.
Adding to public anxiety, a 3.0-magnitude aftershock struck central Caracas on Friday, briefly prompting evacuations from several buildings.
The twin earthquakes have left Venezuela facing an enormous humanitarian and reconstruction challenge, further straining a country already grappling with years of economic hardship and weakened public services.
The United Nations has appealed for nearly $300 million to support emergency relief and recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez has urged the release of the country’s frozen overseas assets to help finance reconstruction. She said she had appealed to King Charles III to release around 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold currently frozen under UK sanctions to support the recovery process.
