Venezuela earthquake: Number of known dead rises to nearly 5,000 victims

The UN estimates 50,000 are missing, with many more feared dead under the rubble as the focus shifts to rebuilding.Almost 5,000 people are known to have died in two earthquakes that devastated Venezuela in June, but the United Nations estimates that as many as 50,000 people may still be missing – with many feared buried under rubble.The number of confirmed deaths is now higher at 4,930, lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez announced on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4A quest for closure: In search of the missing after Venezuela’s earthquakeslist 2 of 4UN seeks $300M for victims of Venezuela’s earthquakeslist 3 of 4‘All we see is decay’: Covering the human toll of Venezuela’s earthquakeslist 4 of 4Venezuela’s recovery clouded by uncertainty three weeks after earthquakeend of listThe disaster almost a month ago impacted tens of thousands of others. Nearly 17,000 people are wounded, and 21,120 are living in shelters.Venezuelan teams have been operating since the earthquake struck, but locals say their response has been slow.“From the very first moment, from when the earthquake happened, there was an immediate response, but from civilians. Civilians and independent people. The state’s response is only being seen now,” Cinthia Pulido, a Venezuelan displaced by the earthquakes, told Al Jazeera. “We’re watching and waiting for some kind of answer.”International rescue teams sent in the immediate aftermath of the disaster have left as the focus moves to providing humanitarian relief.“The little I can get is just for me to survive, support my children, and help my mum,” Louismarez Paez, who has also been displaced, told Al Jazeera.Her mother, she said, does not receive any assistance other than that which she herself provides.Venezuela has ‘crucial resources’ it cannot accessVenezuela has faced tight US sanctions since 2015, which experts say is making the government’s job even harder.“Venezuela has crucial resources that it is not being allowed to access,” Mark Weisbrot, senior economist and co-director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said.