Venezuela creates earthquake recovery fund
Kyiv • UNN
Venezuela has created a $200 million fund for the recovery of regions affected by earthquakes. At least 2,595 people died as a result of the disaster, and thousands are missing.
Venezuela creates a fund totaling $200 million to aid reconstruction in parts of the country affected by two powerful earthquakes last week that killed at least 2,595 people, UNN reports citing dpa.
Details
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez told journalists on Thursday evening that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will allocate the funds.
An account for international donations was also opened at the Latin American Development Bank, and this money is also intended primarily for reconstruction.
Rodríguez reported that at least 189 buildings were completely destroyed and at least 855 were damaged as a result of the earthquakes on June 24. Among the damaged buildings were hospitals; bridges and roads were also damaged.
According to the latest official data, at least 2,295 people died as a result of the earthquakes, and more than 11,000 were injured. Thousands of people are still missing.
At the same time, as BBC notes, a surviving man was rescued after eight days under the rubble of a building that collapsed after two earthquakes in Venezuela. Rescuers managed to free Hernán Gil more than 100 hours after he was found under 140 tons of debris.
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez visited Gil in the hospital on Thursday, calling him a "living miracle" in a video circulated on social media.
In the coastal state of La Guaira, which was hardest hit by the disaster, almost all local authorities died as a result of the natural disaster. "The situation is dramatic," Rodríguez said.
At the same time, she dismissed criticism that the state authorities had failed in the aftermath of the natural disaster. Thousands of military personnel and civilian volunteers took part in rescue operations, she said.
According to her, false information was deliberately spread to sow even more chaos, including through fake tsunami warnings. The authors of these false messages have already been identified, Rodríguez said, without providing details.
According to official data, there were 862 aftershocks after the double earthquake of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5. Their frequency and intensity decreased, but the risk of another strong earthquake is not ruled out.
The number of earthquake victims in Venezuela exceeds 2,200 people01.07.26, 22:51 • 4968 views