Venezuela quake toll tops 5,000 as IMF unlocks reconstruction funds

CARACAS: The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last month has risen above 5,000, while the government has also secured hundreds of millions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for reconstruction efforts.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors hit within a minute of each other on June 24, devastating the coastal state of La Guaira, north of Caracas. National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said in a Telegram post that 5,069 people had died, with the largest share of the casualties reported from the coastal region.

The number of injured remained unchanged at 16,740, according to the latest official figures. Jorge Rodriguez had earlier said that most of the wounded had already been discharged from hospital.

IMF funds released

Later on Friday, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Venezuela had drawn $346 million from the IMF to support post-earthquake reconstruction. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva also confirmed the disbursement in a post on X.

Georgieva said the IMF

worked with key counterparts to help Venezuela access its own resources at the Fund for urgent humanitarian needs.

adding that the money had been drawn "from their reserve tranche."

Around 20,000 people displaced by the earthquakes are now living in overcrowded camps, many of them without reliable water access or proper sanitation.

Venezuela holds 3.568 billion Special Drawing Rights at the IMF, equivalent to about $5.1 billion. Those resources had previously been blocked because the Fund did not recognise Nicolas Maduro as president.

The IMF and the World Bank said in April that they were restoring relations with Venezuela after the United States overthrew Maduro in a military incursion in January. Ties with both institutions had been frozen since 2019.