Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Exceeds 1,900; Injuries Top 10,000

▲ Earthquake damage in Venezuela

The death toll from the series of powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on the 24th (local time) has surpassed 1,900 as of the 30th.

However, this figure is based only on recovered bodies, and the number of casualties is expected to rise further as search operations continue.

Foreign media outlets, including Reuters and The New York Times (NYT), reported that Jorge Rodriguez, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, stated in a speech that day that the officially confirmed death toll from the earthquakes has reached 1,943.

The number of deaths increased by 224 compared to the figure announced the previous day.

The number of injured reached 10,571, doubling from the 5,034 reported the day before.

Jennifer Moreno Canizales, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Caracas, said the death toll is based on recovered bodies and that the number of victims is expected to continue to rise.

The NYT noted that "many more Venezuelans remain missing, and the chances of finding survivors are diminishing with each passing day," suggesting the actual number of victims could be much higher.

However, the newspaper reported that there is currently no official tally or reliable figure for those missing following the earthquakes in Venezuela.

Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, the UN Resident Coordinator in Venezuela, who is leading relief efforts on the ground, said in a virtual briefing the previous day that they are working with the Venezuelan government to secure 10,000 body bags in preparation for an increase in the death toll.

"This is based on a kind of assumption, and it is very unfortunate," said Del Tindaro. "I sincerely hope the actual number of victims is lower than that."

As of this day, a private Venezuelan website tracking missing persons from the earthquake has unofficially estimated the number of people who cannot be reached at over 42,000.

However, this is a private tally and not an official figure confirmed by Venezuelan authorities, and it may include individuals who are safe but have not been able to contact their families.

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