The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela's Caribbean coast last month has surpassed 5,000, as authorities continue recovering bodies from the rubble.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday that 5,069 people have now been confirmed dead, most of them in the coastal state of La Guaira, where the earthquakes caused the worst destruction. Another 16,740 people were injured, though Rodriguez said most have since been discharged from hospital.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which struck within a minute of each other on June 24, devastated La Guaira, north of Caracas. The coastal state is home to Venezuela's main international airport, a major seaport and hundreds of apartment towers, many of which partially or completely collapsed.
More than 1,300 aftershocks have been recorded since then, authorities say. Approximately 20,000 people remain displaced, many living in overcrowded shelters without reliable access to clean water or sanitation.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday that Venezuela had secured $346 million in emergency financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva confirmed the money was being released from Venezuela's reserve tranche to meet urgent humanitarian needs.
It was only in April that the IMF and World Bank restored relations with Venezuela, following the US regime forcibly removing former President Nicolas Maduro from power in January. The institutions had suspended ties with the country in 2019 after refusing to recognize Maduro's government.
Public outrage over the government's handling of the earthquakes has continued to grow. Survivors and critics accuse authorities of responding too slowly as people remained trapped beneath collapsed buildings. An investigation by Reuters found the crucial first days of the rescue effort were hampered by delayed military deployment orders, shortages of basic rescue equipment and confusion caused by overlapping chains of command, according to military and diplomatic sources.
Source: www.aljazeera.com