Death toll in Venezuela rises to 5,000 as IMF releases emergency aid | Stories About Earthquakes

The IMF has released $346m in emergency funds as new information emerges about the disaster response.

The number of deaths from two earthquakes that washed up on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast last month has claimed more than 5,000 lives, as authorities continue to recover bodies.

President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday that 5,069 people have now been confirmed dead, most of them on the coast of La Guaira, where the earthquakes caused the worst destruction. Another 16,740 people were injured, although Rodriguez said many were released from hospital.

The payment has been made he continued to climb while rescue workers are removing damaged buildings and reaching areas that were difficult to access in the difficult days after the disaster.

Earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5, which occurred just one minute apart on June 24, destroyed the city of La Guaira, north of Caracas. The coastal area is home to Venezuela’s main international airport, a major port and hundreds of skyscrapers, many of which have partially or completely collapsed.

More than 1,300 earthquakes have occurred since then, officials say. About 20,000 people are on the verge of fleeing, many of them living in slums without running water or sanitation.

$346m in IMF funds

The biggest blow comes as former President Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday that Venezuela had secured a $346m bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, confirmed that the funds are being released to Venezuela’s fund to meet the needs of the people.

It was only in April that the IMF and the World Bank restored relations with Venezuela, following the United States’ forced removal of former President Nicolas Maduro from power in January. These organizations suspended relations with the country in 2019 after refusing to recognize the Maduro government.

Public anger over the government’s handling of the earthquake has continued to grow in the weeks since it struck, with survivors and protesters accusing authorities of a slow response as people were trapped under collapsed buildings.

New information revealed by the news agency Reuters has added to these questions. In an investigation published on Saturday, the news agency found that critical rescue days had been thwarted by delays in the deployment of troops, a lack of rescue equipment and confusion caused by the number of chains, according to soldiers and diplomats.

Rodriguez is repeated rejections claims that the government is slow to act, dismissing claims of unrest as a story created by “media laboratories” and insisting on a swift government response.