Venezuela earthquake death toll reaches 2,645, officials report

Venezuela's earthquake death toll has risen to 2,645, according to an update from Rodriguez, who heads the command center for temporary camps. In a statement posted on Telegram on Friday, Rodriguez said that 6,462 people had been rescued and 86,117 families had received assistance. The earthquakes damaged 885 buildings and caused 189 others to collapse. Authorities have set up 59 temporary camps to accommodate those affected by the disaster, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Since the powerful earthquakes, Venezuela has recorded 890 aftershocks, Rodriguez said. He added that 3,305 international rescuers and 29,567 emergency responders remained deployed across the country to respond to the emergency.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez earlier declared seven days of national mourning in tribute to the victims of the powerful earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. "In honor of the memory of the victims, I have decided to decree National Mourning for seven (7) days, starting at 6:00 p.m. today," Rodriguez wrote in a statement posted on social media on Wednesday (local time). She said that "in these moments of profound sadness, we embrace those who suffer from this tragedy and reaffirm our commitment to accompany and protect them." "Venezuela's soul is torn by the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes," Rodriguez added.

Two earthquakes measuring magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 struck north of Caracas last week. Authorities said that tens of thousands remain missing. Earlier on Thursday, Rodriguez had declared seven days of national mourning in tribute to the victims of the powerful earthquakes. According to Mehr News, the report by Xinhua news agency provided these details.