Venezuelan lawmakers approve rental bill to help quake victims

Venezuelan lawmakers on Friday unanimously approved a housing law that makes it easier to rent properties, after last month's devastating earthquakes left thousands of people destitute.

Over 23,800 people in the coastal state of La Guaira are homeless following the twin tremors on June 24, which killed over 5,500 people and caused hundreds of buildings to crumble.

The measure repeals anti-rental legislation passed by former leftist Chavista administrations.

It aims "to ensure that people do not feel any kind of fear about renting out their homes," National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said.

"There are up to 200,000 homes in Venezuela that are not being rented" due to "very regressive" restrictions, he told a press conference.

"Thousands of families were left without a decent home, and this law directly responds to that need," said lawmaker America Perez.

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, the parliamentary leader's sister, must now enact the bill.

She has pledged to provide 4,000 homes to quake victims by the end of the year, with the government hoping that number to reach over 10,000 in 2027.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes destroyed 190 buildings and damaged 856 more, according to official figures.

Venezuelan authorities began demolishing buildings in La Guaira on Thursday, with soldiers cordoning off areas before blasting the structures apart with dynamite.

Rescue workers on Friday resumed their search for victims under the rubble, following the previous day's demolitions.

The government has not disclosed how many people are missing after the disaster, but expert projections put the figure at up to 10,000.

Delcy Rodriguez has been ruling under intense pressure from Washington after US forces abducted her predecessor Nicolas Maduro in January.