The administration of US President Donald Trump, working with Venezuelan authorities, is exploring the possibility of unfreezing Venezuelan assets to help the country recover from the devastating earthquake, Bloomberg reports.
Such a plan, involving the unfreezing of billions of dollars, would allow Washington to provide assistance to the Venezuelan authorities without additional funding. The United States previously promised to provide Caracas with $ 386 million for earthquake recovery.
The earthquake hit Venezuela on the evening of June 24. Two tremors with a magnitude of 7.2 and 7.5 were recorded approximately 40 seconds apart. As of 22 July, 5,398 people had died, 16,740 were injured, 17,907 were left homeless, 190 buildings were completely destroyed, and 856 were significantly damaged. 23,335 people were accommodated in 107 temporary camps. 6,462 people were rescued during rescue operations. The earthquake triggered 1,463 aftershocks.