The death toll from the chain of powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela's north-central region on the 24th has surpassed 4,300. With the United Nations estimating as many as 50,000 missing, the number of victims is expected to rise further. The Venezuelan government is ramping up pressure on the international community to unfreeze assets under the pretext of disaster recovery.
Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said on the 11th that the cumulative death toll from two powerful quakes on the 24th rose to 4,333, up 215 from the previous day's tally. The number of injured stands at 16,740, and 6,462 survivors have been rescued from collapsed buildings. Venezuelan authorities have not disclosed the official number of missing. The U.N., however, still believes 50,000 people are missing.
According to local Venezuelan media, the disaster damage was concentrated in densely populated areas. Data from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that with dwellings, electricity, and drinking water supply networks destroyed, more than 19,000 displaced people are staying in temporary shelters set up on streets, in schools, churches, and stadiums. On the ground, domestic and international volunteers are pitching tents in open areas to continue medical support and food distribution.
The initial survivor rescue effort is now shifting toward the recovery of remains. Rodríguez emphasized that the government will continue its search for bodies without interruption. The move appears aimed at easing bereaved families' fears that indiscriminate debris removal could damage remains.
Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez called for the return of national assets frozen abroad to fund earthquake recovery and reconstruction. Rodríguez argued that the gold held by the Bank of England (BOE) and funds frozen under various sanctions should be used for victim support, the rebuilding of dwellings, and the restoration of basic services. Bloomberg analyzed this as "a calculus to leverage a humanitarian disaster to skirt the international community's economic sanctions network."