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Venezuelan authorities have said the death toll from the country’s devastating twin earthquakes has risen above 4,000.
According to Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodríguez, at least 4,118 people were killed and 16,740 injured in the back-to-back earthquakes that struck on June 24, flattening entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira.
Thousands more remain missing.
The stronger 7.5-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful to hit Venezuela in more than a century, struck just 39 seconds after an initial 7.2-magnitude tremor, reducing high-rise apartment buildings to piles of rubble.
Although rescue teams have ended the search for survivors, relatives continue to comb through the ruins in the hope of recovering the bodies of their loved ones for burial.
On Friday, a 3.0-magnitude earthquake in central Caracas triggered brief panic and prompted the evacuation of several buildings.
The disaster has left Venezuela facing an enormous recovery effort, with the country’s response complicated by years of economic crisis that have weakened public services.
The United Nations on Wednesday launched an urgent appeal for nearly $300 million to support earthquake relief operations.
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has called for the release of frozen Venezuelan assets held abroad to support recovery efforts.
According to AFP, she said she had asked King Charles III to release about 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold frozen under UK sanctions.
