The death toll from the twin earthquakes in Venezuela has climbed to 4,333, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said. Lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said at least 4,333 people have been killed while over 18,000 people have been injured and 17,907 displaced.
He said over 30,000 volunteers had signed up to help victims during the critical phase of the disaster and that the government is seeking to use their services in the construction and repair of homes destroyed in the tragedy.
As many families remain homeless, Rodriguez said the government had launched a Unified Housing Registry, which will serve as both a census and a database for state-ordered financial assistance to quake victims. The government also plans to set up camps with single-family transitional housing “while permanent homes are being built", Rodriguez said.
The United Nations launched an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million people in urgent need of aid in Venezuela.
The organisation has requested the immediate release of the pending $15 million to repair the country’s essential infrastructure, including damaged hospitals, and to maintain basic sanitation in camps for the displaced to prevent a health emergency.
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has urged the release of frozen assets held abroad to support the recovery.
King Charles III is expected to decide on releasing about 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold frozen under UK sanctions in the coming days. On Friday, a 3.0 magnitude tremor in central Caracas caused momentary panic and led to buildings being evacuated.
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