Death toll from Venezuela earthquake exceeds 3,300 — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The death toll from the recent earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 3,342, while thousands more have been injured and displaced, media reports said on Monday. The earthquakes have injured 16,470 people and displaced 17,345 others, Reuters reported, citing Venezuela’s Ministry of Information. The Venezuelan government earlier announced that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank would provide financial assistance and credit to support reconstruction efforts in the affected areas. Officials said a $200 million reconstruction fund had also been established in cooperation with the IMF, adding that search and rescue operations were continuing. Earlier, the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the death toll could exceed 10,000, potentially making the disaster one of the deadliest earthquakes in Latin America over the past century. According to the USGS, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160 kilometres west of Caracas on June 24, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 quake in the same area.