The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 2,595, acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced at a press conference.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with authorities hoping to find survivors under the rubble. Rodríguez did not specify the exact number of missing persons, but unofficial media reports suggest it could be around 38,500.

Rodríguez denied allegations that the government was too slow to respond, calling the disaster an unprecedented natural tragedy.

The earthquake consisted of two series of tremors with magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, completely destroying 189 buildings. The hardest-hit area was the state of La Guaira. This was the strongest earthquake in the country in 126 years.

Source: podrobno.uz