Caracas [Venezuela], July 19: The death toll from the twin earthquakes that tore through Venezuela's Caribbean coast last month has surpassed 5,000, as authorities continue recovering bodies from the rubble.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday that 5,069 people have now been confirmed dead, most of them in the coastal state of La Guaira, where the earthquakes caused the worst destruction. Another 16,740 people were injured, though Rodriguez said most have since been discharged from hospital.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which struck within a minute of each other on June 24, devastated La Guaira, north of Caracas. The coastal state is home to Venezuela's main international airport, a major seaport and hundreds of apartment towers, many of which partially or completely collapsed.
The grim milestone comes as Interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday that Venezuela had secured $346mn in emergency financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva confirmed the money was being released from Venezuela's reserve tranche at the fund to meet urgent humanitarian needs.
Source: Qatar Tribune