Venezuela earthquake death toll tops 4,000; thousands missing, injured

Caracas: The death toll from Venezuela’s twin earthquakes has crossed 4,000, while more than 16,000 people have been injured.

Venezuelan parliament chief Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday that at least 4,118 people were killed and 16,740 others injured in the back-to-back earthquakes that hit on June 24. Thousands of people are still reported missing.

Powerful quakes flattened coastal districts

The stronger of the two earthquakes, measuring 7.5 magnitude, struck 39 seconds after an initial 7.2 magnitude tremor. It was the strongest earthquake recorded in Venezuela in more than a century.

The quakes devastated parts of the coastal state of La Guaira, reducing several high-rise residential buildings and entire neighbourhoods to rubble.

Although rescue teams have stopped active searches for survivors, families continue to look through the ruins in search of missing relatives, hoping to recover their remains for a dignified burial.

Fresh tremor triggers panic in Caracas

A 3.0 magnitude tremor struck central Caracas on Friday, briefly triggering panic and prompting evacuations from several buildings.

The aftershock added to concerns among residents already affected by the destruction caused by the earlier earthquakes.

Venezuela faces massive recovery challenge

The scale of rebuilding poses a major challenge for Venezuela, where public services have been weakened by a prolonged economic crisis.

The United Nations on Wednesday issued an urgent appeal for nearly $300 million to support earthquake relief operations.

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has called for the release of frozen foreign assets to help fund recovery efforts. She also said she had requested King Charles III to release around 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold held under UK sanctions for the same purpose.

(With AFP inputs)