The death toll from the Venezuela earthquake continues to rise, now surpassing 4,100, with more than 16,700 injured and thousands missing amid an economic crisis that hampers the country's recovery.
The Venezuelan government revealed on Friday that the death toll from two major consecutive earthquakes on 24 June has risen to at least 4,118, with 16,740 injured and thousands still missing.
Jorge Rodriguez, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, shared figures via the Telegram app, stating that the earthquakes caused severe damage, especially in the coastal state of La Guaira, where many homes and residential areas were flattened.
This earthquake is the strongest Venezuela has experienced in over 100 years, with a 7.2 magnitude tremor followed just 39 seconds later by a 7.5 magnitude quake, causing many tall buildings to collapse into rubble in a short time.
Although rescue teams have stopped searching for survivors due to the slim chance of finding anyone alive, many families of the missing continue to search beneath the debris in hopes of recovering their relatives' bodies for funeral rites.
Meanwhile, on Friday, a 3.0 magnitude aftershock occurred in Caracas, causing panic and evacuation from several buildings, although the tremor did not cause significant additional damage.
The United Nations (UN) issued an emergency appeal on Wednesday, requesting nearly 300 million US dollars to support relief and recovery operations for those affected.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez called for the release of the country's frozen assets held abroad to fund post-disaster recovery. She disclosed a request to King Charles III to release about 30 tons of Venezuelan gold seized under UK sanctions for use in aiding victims and rebuilding the country.
This earthquake worsens Venezuela's ongoing economic crisis, which has weakened public utilities and government services, making relief and recovery efforts difficult and expected to take several years.
. Source:channelnewsasia
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