MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela quake death toll reaches 3,685 as economists urge lifting of US sanctions

A worker paints the graves of unidentified victims of the June 24 earthquake. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP

The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24 rose to at least 3,685, after another 150 fatalities were added to Monday's count, according to official figures. The number of injured held at 16,740 and that of people rescued at 6,462, while those who lost their homes rose to 17,907. Authorities present the data as provisional.

Separately, a group of 113 economists and academics asked the US government to lift its economic sanctions on Venezuela and called on the International Monetary Fund to ease the country's access to international financial mechanisms to cope with the emergency. The signatories requested the removal of restrictions on the Central Bank, the state oil company PDVSA and other institutions, arguing that the measures prevent resources from reaching those who need them most. Washington had not commented on the request.

The United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Tom Fletcher, arrived in Venezuela for a four-day visit during which he will meet survivors, rescue workers and senior government officials, including acting president Delcy Rodríguez. Fletcher is due to take part on Wednesday in a ministerial-level briefing on the humanitarian response and the next steps.

A wide discrepancy persists over the number of missing. The government says it runs into the thousands, without giving a figure, while a citizen-run platform has registered about 31,000 people out of contact and the UN has said more than 50,000 may still be unaccounted for. Independent verification remains limited by access restrictions in the worst-hit areas.

The international response continued to expand. Haiti announced the dispatch of a medical mission of 31 professionals, and countries including France, Portugal and China kept sending humanitarian aid. Rodríguez said she had requested support from nations with seismic experience, such as Japan, Peru and Chile, to send specialists. The government also announced the coordination of a debris-removal plan in the coastal state of La Guaira, the hardest-hit region, where it estimates the total volume of waste generated at more than one million tons.

The twin quakes, of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, are the deadliest recorded in Venezuela in more than a century. Twelve days on, the rescue phase has largely given way to removal and recovery work.