THE death toll from the twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela on 24 June has risen to 4,118, while 16,740 people have been injured and thousands remain unaccounted for, underscoring the scale of one of the country's deadliest natural disasters.
AFP cited Venezuelan Parliament President Jorge Rodriguez saying the updated casualty figures came as authorities shifted their focus from rescue operations to recovery and humanitarian assistance following the powerful seismic disaster.
The twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck just 39 seconds apart, with the second tremor recorded as the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
Entire communities in the coastal state of La Guaira were devastated, with multi-storey apartment buildings collapsing into piles of rubble and causing widespread destruction.
Although official search-and-rescue operations have ended, relatives of those still missing continue searching through the debris in the hope of recovering the bodies of loved ones for burial.
Fresh concern emerged on Friday when a magnitude 3.0 aftershock rattled central Caracas, triggering brief panic among residents and prompting the evacuation of several buildings.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for nearly US$300 million to support humanitarian relief and long-term recovery efforts in the wake of the disaster.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has also called for Venezuelan state assets frozen overseas to be released to finance reconstruction, including approximately 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold held in the United Kingdom under international sanctions. - July 11, 2026
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