Death toll in Venezuela quakes passes 4,300, govt says

The death toll in Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes has topped 4,300, the government has said.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez - the brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez - put the toll at 4,333, up from 4,118 yesterday.

The the back-to-back earthquakes took place on 24 June, flattening entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira.

Thousands more are listed as missing.

Mr Rodriguez did not say how many people were still unaccounted for, but the United Nations has estimated that 50,000 people are still missing.

Camps for families left homeless have sprung up in stadiums, plazas and on sidewalks.

More than 19,000 people are currently living in those camps, Mr Rodriguez said.

Venezuelan and foreign volunteers are providing medical care in tents set up in open areas and distributing food.

The stronger 7.5 magnitude quake - the biggest in Venezuela in over a century - struck 39 seconds after the first 7.2 magnitude shock, flattening entire high-rise apartment blocks to layers of rubble.

Although rescue teams have abandoned their search for survivors, family members continue to search the ruins for their loved ones in the hopes of giving them a dignified burial.

A 3.0 magnitude tremor in central Caracas yesterday caused momentary panic and led to buildings being evacuated.

The scale of the recovery effort facing Venezuela, where state services have been severely degraded by a prolonged economic crisis, is significant.

The United Nations on Wednesday issued an urgent appeal for nearly $300 million (€262 million) towards earthquake relief operations.

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez has called for the release of frozen assets held abroad to be used towards the recovery.

On Wednesday, she said she asked Britain's King Charles to release about 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold frozen under UK sanctions.