ISTANBUL – The death toll from the powerful earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela a week ago has risen to 2,595, while 12,400 people have been injured, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said.
“The number we give is a rigorous number,” Rodriguez told a press conference.
She said the updated figures followed a detailed verification process, adding that authorities cross-checked casualty data before releasing the latest toll.
READ: Venezuela quake survivors seek food as toll hits nearly 2,000
Fingerprint-based verification
She said five people who were initially registered as dead were later found to be alive after authorities verified their identities through Venezuela’s fingerprint-based subsidized fuel system.
“We don’t want to give numbers that are not rigorously proven,” Rodriguez said.
The updated figures follow the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes in northern Venezuela on June 24.
She also said the government is in talks with the US State Department and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to mobilize resources for rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the earthquakes.
She added that discussions are also underway with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, which have offered grants as well as credit facilities to support the country’s recovery efforts.
According to Rodriguez, the earthquakes damaged at least 855 buildings.
She said authorities have allocated an initial $200 million for reconstruction and opened a dedicated account at the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to receive international donations for housing projects.
Israeli specialists arrive
Rodriguez also announced the arrival of a team of Israeli specialists to help assess damaged buildings and support infrastructure recovery efforts.
Preliminary assessments based on the UN Development Programme’s Rapid Digital Analysis (RADIDA) estimate damage to homes, businesses, and other assets at approximately $6.7 billion, she said.
READ: Hope fades, hunger grows a week after Venezuela quakes
Government estimates indicate that around 12,800 people lost their homes, while the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has recorded about 16,000 people displaced by the earthquakes.
Rodriguez also noted that Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Mucio visited Venezuela earlier this week to discuss expanding humanitarian cooperation and reconstruction assistance. (Anadolu)
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