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Nearly 3,000 killed in Venezuela earthquakes as rescue workers race against clock to find survivors

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said 6,462 people have been rescued since the disaster struck on June 24

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Rescue Efforts Continue In Venezuela After A Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Struck The Country
Rescue efforts continue in Venezuela after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the country. Picture: Getty

By Katy Dartford

The death toll from Venezuela's deadly twin earthquakes has risen to 2,954, according to the Venezuelan information ministry.

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The total number of injured rose to 16,592 while the number of homeless stood at 16,309.

In a message on his Telegram channel, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said 6462 people had been rescued.

The disaster struck the central states of Aragua, Miranda and La Guaira, as well as the western states of Carabobo, Yaracuy and Falcon on June 24.

Read more: Two boys pulled from the rubble in Venezuela after devastating earthquake

Read more: British crisis-response team stranded amid attempt to join earthquake rescue effort, as Venezuela's missing soars above 50,000

Volunteers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela
Volunteers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela. Picture: Jonathan Lanza/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The update by Mr Rodriguez said 16,209 people were without housing. Some are living in official shelters, and others in tent encampments. An unofficial but widely used tally of the missing stands at just over 41,000.

856 buildings have also been damaged, and 190 structures have collapsed. Authorities have set up 80 temporary camps to assist displaced and affected people.

According to Saturday's update, 29,567 rescuers remain deployed to search for survivors, including 3,281 from abroad.

Since the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck, Venezuela has recorded 942 aftershocks, the statement said.

International rescuers have started to wrap up the search for survivors, with the critical 72-hour rescue window for earthquakes long passed.

A few people have been found alive this week, despite the slim chances of survival.

Occuring just seconds apart the incident has quickly become one of the worst quake disasters that Latin America has witnessed.

Authorities have recorded a total of 942 aftershocks since the quakes.

A father and his son were pulled out alive from the rubble of a collapsed building last Sunday as rescue workers raced against the clock to find more survivors.

The Venezuelan government has not given any estimates of the missing, but the United Nations puts the number of people unaccounted for at as many as 50,000.