Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Exceeds 5,000; IMF Provides $346 Million

Venezuela. The death toll in two powerful earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela last month has exceeded five thousand. Officials said on Saturday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided 346 million US dollars for reconstruction.

The coastal state of La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, was the most affected when two earthquakes of magnitude seven-point-two and seven-point-five occurred with an interval of one minute on June 24.

According to Jorge Rodriguez, head of the National Assembly, 5,069 people have died in the earthquake so far. Most of the deceased are residents of the coastal areas.

The number of injured in the earthquake has reached 16,740. However, officials have stated that most of the injured have returned home from the hospital after treatment.

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez informed that 346 million US dollars have been received from the IMF for post-earthquake reconstruction.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva confirmed the release of the amount, stating that it was provided to help Venezuela use its own reserve tranche to address immediate humanitarian needs.

About 20,000 people have been displaced by the earthquake. They are living in temporary camps, where there is a lack of adequate arrangements for drinking water and sanitation.

Venezuela has a reserve of about 5.10 billion US dollars in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) with the IMF. The use of this source was previously blocked because Nicolas Maduro was not recognized as president.

After Nicolas Maduro was ousted from power in January this year, the IMF and the World Bank resumed cooperation with Venezuela in April. Relations with these institutions had been suspended since 2019.