(CARACAS, VENEZUELA) – The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela has risen above 4,300, with a further 16,740 people reported injured. The updated figures were provided by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and reported by Bloomberg.
Rescue teams have pulled more than 6,400 survivors from the rubble in the 17 days since the disaster. Authorities are continuing to identify the dead, and search operations are increasingly shifting from rescue to the recovery of bodies. The latest official count represents an increase from earlier reports that had put the number of fatalities at 4,118.
Two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, occurred within minutes of each other, causing widespread destruction of buildings and severe disruption to power and water supplies. At least seven states have been affected. The worst damage was recorded in the state of La Guaira and the Greater Caracas area, where thousands of residents have been forced to leave their homes.
Vice President Rodriguez has called for the release of Venezuela’s frozen assets to help fund disaster relief, housing reconstruction and the restoration of basic services. Among the assets she referred to are gold reserves held at the Bank of England and funds blocked by international sanctions. Access to these resources has been a long standing point of contention between the Venezuelan government and Western nations.
The scale of the disaster has placed immense strain on Venezuela’s already stretched public services and infrastructure. The country has faced years of economic difficulty, and the earthquake has compounded existing challenges in healthcare, housing and utilities. International aid organisations and neighbouring countries have offered assistance, though the full extent of the recovery effort is still unfolding.
No local currency figures for the cost of reconstruction were provided. For reference, the Venezuelan bolivar trades at highly variable rates, and much of the economy operates using the US dollar informally. A major reconstruction programme would likely require billions of dollars in funding.
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