The death toll from the twin earthquakes that hit Venezuela last month rose to 5,119 on Sunday, July 19, according to authorities, as rescue operations continued across heavily affected areas.
National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez said 16,740 people were injured in the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck on June 24, while 17,907 people were left homeless.
Venezuela stands strong
In a Telegram post, Rodríguez said authorities continue to care for displaced families at the Los Caracas temporary camp in the hard-hit state of La Guaira.
“We are encouraged to see people living together at the Los Caracas temporary camp, where safe spaces have been created for our children and young people,” he said.
“There, they are receiving the care, support, and dignity they deserve. We remain constantly attentive to every one of them. With everyone’s effort, we will overcome this together.”
According to Rodriguez, the authorities established the areas within days to give children and teenagers staying at the temporary camp a place to play, enjoy video games and participate in recreational activities.
He added that separate spaces have been designated for different age groups as part of its efforts to support families displaced by the twin earthquakes.
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IMF approves $346M fund for Venezuela
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Friday that Venezuela had secured US$346 million in emergency financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address urgent humanitarian needs following the twin earthquakes.
The announcement was confirmed by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who also expressed her sympathy for those affected by the disaster.
“My heart is with the people of Venezuela as they recover from the devastating earthquakes. We worked with key counterparts to help Venezuela access its own resources at the Fund for urgent humanitarian needs and the authorities have now drawn US$346M from their reserve tranche,” Georgieva said in a post on X.
The financing is expected to help Venezuela, which has been grappling with a prolonged financial crisis despite being an oil-rich country.
As of Sunday, the government said the earthquakes had damaged 856 buildings, including 190 that collapsed.
The United Nations estimated last month that the earthquakes could cause up to US$6.7 billion in physical damage, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Help keeps pouring in
In addition to the IMF financing, help from different nations continues to pour into Venezuela as the South American country recovers.
According to Reuters, the European Union has provided an additional €20 million (about US$22.87 million) in humanitarian assistance to support the country’s relief and recovery operations.
Last month, the EU, together with its eight member states— Czechia, Spain, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands— deployed search-and-rescue teams, medical personnel and emergency assistance to Venezuela through the bloc’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
South Korea has also announced its US$3.5 million additional humanitarian aid to support Caracas, while the United States continues to send rescue teams.
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