Death toll from earthquakes in Venezuela rises to 188

President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodriguez, made a statement regarding the toll of the earthquakes that caused widespread destruction in the country.

Rodriguez stated that search and rescue and debris removal efforts are continuing without interruption, and announced that the number of people who lost their lives in the earthquakes has risen to at least 188, while the number of injured has reached 1,520.

The Assembly President also conveyed that authorities estimate approximately 200 people are still trapped under the rubble.

Two consecutive earthquakes occurred

Venezuela was shaken yesterday by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake at approximately 18:04 local time, followed 39 seconds later by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) had stated that the death toll would likely be in the thousands, and that there was a significantly high probability of it exceeding 10,000.