The death toll from the devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday has risen to 589, interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Friday morning.
Government and military authorities said at a joint press conference that 2,980 people have been injured, 250 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and 2,927 families have been left homeless.
Officials spoke from La Guaira, the state north of Caracas that has been hardest hit by the initial quakes and the 214 aftershocks recorded since Wednesday evening.
According to the unofficial website Desaparecidos Terremoto Venezuela (Venezuela Earthquake Missing People), around 50,000 people have been reported missing, although more than 7,800 have since been located.
Communications outages have made it difficult for families to contact loved ones, prompting many to turn to social media in search of information.
