NEW YORK/CARACAS - The United Nations launched an urgent appeal on July 8 for nearly US$300 million (S$387.85 million) towards Venezuela earthquake relief operations as the death toll from the disaster rose to more than 3,800 people.

There is huge humanitarian need after one of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters left thousands of people homeless and thousands more still missing.

In badly damaged La Guaira, families are still digging for the bodies of loved ones in the rubble.

“Donors are already stepping up, and I pay tribute to them, and I thank them,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said during a meeting on the disaster.

Officials were appealing for US$296 million to provide urgently needed aid for 1.3 million people over six months, he said.

Caracas also called on July 8 for the release of frozen assets to help raise funds for the country’s recovery.

“We call upon all countries currently holding blocked funds belonging to Venezuela to initiate a plan to release these funds so that they can be used for recovery efforts,” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil told the UN meeting.

“There are accounts belonging to the Venezuelan state in various parts of the world that have been frozen as a result of illegal sanctions.”

Gil referenced gold held by Britain and finances frozen by the United States.

The US government has already lifted a number of economic sanctions against Venezuela for four months to facilitate relief operations.

Washington had imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Venezuela, particularly from 2019 onward, in an effort to squeeze the leftist government of president Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States considered illegitimate.