Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes surpasses 4,700

The death toll from the two devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has surpassed 4,700, with approximately 17,000 injured, according to official figures released on Monday.

According to the latest numbers published by National Assembly (parliament) President Jorge Rodriguez on Telegram, the disaster has claimed at least 4,734 lives and injured 16,740 others.

He added that most of the injured had been discharged from hospitals after receiving treatment.

Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, striking 39 seconds apart, heavily impacted the capital, Caracas, and the neighboring state of La Guaira, reducing entire high-rise residential complexes to piles of rubble.

For its part, the United Nations estimates that approximately 50,000 people remain missing following the earthquakes, which caused hundreds of buildings to collapse.