Faulty reasoning signals

• Appeal to Emotion - 28.4%
• Negativity Bias - 28%
• Appeal to Authority - 22.2%

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A worker paints graves for unidentified victims of the June 24 earthquake at La Esperanza Cemetery in Carayaca, La Guaira state, northeast of Caracas, on July 5, 2026. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Lillian Mann

6:33 PM – Thursday, July 9, 2026

Following the catastrophic dual earthquakes in Venezuela, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced that the death toll has now reached at least 3,811.

The tragedy has left approximately 17,907 residents homeless and 16,740 injured after the back-to-back earthquakes on June 24 th flattened buildings, destroyed homes and trapped thousands under the rubble for days before rescue.

Following the rising death toll, Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has reissued calls for international restrictions on Venezuela to be lifted in order to receive more assistance for the earthquake recovery.

Over the last two decades, Venezuela has become an epicenter for drug trafficking, prompting countries like the United States and even the European Union (EU) to implement increasingly strict economic sanctions on the nation.

However, Rodríguez maintained that the country had enough assets to help finance reconstruction if certain “blocked accounts” were released.

“Venezuela has resources blocked ​around the world that could address this process of reconstruction,” the president said on local television channel VTV. She mentioned that the funds were also needed for employment and education programs.

Rodríguez formally appealed to Britain’s King Charles III and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to release their frozen gold reserves. She argued that the funds belong to the Venezuelan people and are urgently needed to rebuild infrastructure, hospitals and schools shattered by the disaster.

Approximately 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold — worth an estimated $2 billion — is currently being held at the Bank of England. However, the gold was initially withheld by the Bank of England in 2018, due to growing doubts of the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s election win.

The decision to unfreeze the funds rests entirely with the UK Foreign Office and the courts. However, because the UK monarchy hasn’t granted full diplomatic recognition to Rodríguez’s interim government, the Bank of England is legally required to keep the $2 billion in gold frozen, despite the escalating humanitarian crisis from the earthquakes.

Due to the state of emergency triggered by the twin earthquakes, the U.S. implemented a four-month humanitarian exemption, permitting relief-related transactions that would otherwise be prohibited by active sanctions, according to Reuters.

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