Caracas – The Venezuelan government announced Tuesday that the death toll from two devastating earthquakes that struck the country last week has risen to 1,943. At least 10,571 people were injured. Thousands remain missing under the rubble of collapsed buildings as search and rescue operations continue.
Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said emergency teams have rescued 6,461 people so far. He added that more than 13,400 people left the affected areas on their own or with help from relatives within the first hours after the disaster.
NASA estimates that nearly 59,000 buildings were either completely destroyed or partially damaged by the quakes. The two earthquakes struck just seconds apart, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. The extent of the destruction is visible from space.
Last Wednesday, Venezuela was hit by the two powerful tremors less than a minute apart. The quakes, with magnitudes of 7.1 and 7.5, caused the collapse of more than 800 buildings in Caracas and surrounding states.