Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 3811, UN Appeals for Nearly $300 Million in Aid

(CNA Venezuela, August 8, Combined Foreign Reports) As the death toll from the Venezuelan earthquake has risen to over 3,800, the United Nations today urgently appealed for nearly $300 million (approximately NT$9.5 billion) to be raised for earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela.

According to Agence France-Presse, Venezuela has experienced one of the most severe earthquake disasters in Latin America, leaving thousands homeless and thousands more missing, with enormous humanitarian aid needs in the aftermath. In the heavily impacted La Guaira state, families are still digging through rubble for the bodies of their loved ones.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher stated at a post-disaster meeting: "Donors have stepped forward, and I pay tribute to them and express my gratitude."

He said that officials are currently calling for $296 million to be raised to provide much-needed assistance to 1.3 million disaster victims within the next six months.

The Caracas authorities today also called for the release of frozen assets to help raise funds for Venezuela's post-disaster recovery.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil stated at a UN meeting: "We call on all countries currently holding frozen Venezuelan funds to initiate a plan to release these funds so that they can be used for reconstruction efforts."

"Due to illegal sanctions, several accounts belonging to the Venezuelan government are currently frozen worldwide."

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez said she has requested that King Charles III of the United Kingdom release approximately 30 tons of Venezuelan gold frozen due to British sanctions.

She said on national television: "I have decided to write to the King of the United Kingdom to request the release of gold stored in the Bank of England. This gold belongs to our people. We need this gold to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake."

The U.S. government has lifted several economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela for a period of four months to facilitate post-disaster relief efforts.

Washington has imposed extensive economic sanctions on Venezuela, particularly intensifying them since 2019, in an attempt to pressure the government of left-wing President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States considers illegitimate.

Relations between Washington and Caracas have improved since the U.S. military overthrew Maduro in January of this year.

The UN estimates that the series of twin earthquakes in Venezuela caused $6.7 billion in losses, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The international airport serving Caracas was also damaged and remains closed to commercial flights.

Two weeks after Venezuela was hit by magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes on June 24, most international rescue teams have ended their search for survivors, but families continue to search for the bodies of their loved ones in the rubble.

The Venezuelan government updated the death toll today to 3811, stating that nearly 17,000 people were injured. As many residential buildings in La Guaira state were flattened by the earthquake, nearly 18,000 people are currently homeless. (Compiled by: Chang Hsiao-wen) 1150709

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