Venezuela: Death toll from the 24 June earthquakes exceeds 5,000. IMF provides 346 million for reconstruction

The official death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June has risen to 5,069. The government has announced this figure, adding that 16,740 people have been injured and 6,462 have been rescued.

According to figures released by the authorities, 128,324 households have received assistance, whilst 21,235 people remain housed in 107 temporary camps and 17,907 have been left homeless.

The authorities report that 856 buildings have been damaged, 190 have collapsed and over 10,000 tonnes of food have been distributed. There have been 1,331 aftershocks recorded so far, whilst relief operations and monitoring of the affected areas continue.

The two earthquakes that struck Venezuela have so far generated around 2.1 million tonnes of rubble, according to an estimate drawn up by the Caracas government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), based on surveys carried out using drones, helicopters and on-the-ground inspections. This was announced by the Minister for Ecosocialism, Nelson Rodríguez, who specified that 1.529 million tonnes consist of building materials and 577,000 tonnes of personal belongings. The minister did not clarify whether the assessment covered the whole country or only the state of La Guaira, which was hardest hit by the earthquake. Rodríguez announced the launch of a plan for the separate collection and recycling of rubble, with eleven temporary storage centres already operational in La Guaira and the involvement of private companies. At the end of June, the UNDP had estimated around 1.2 million tonnes of rubble in La Guaira alone.

Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has announced that the country will have access to $346 million of its own funds held with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), earmarked for the recovery and reconstruction plan following the twin earthquakes that struck the country.