Number of deaths from earthquakes in Venezuela exceeds 2,500 people

The number of those killed as a result of earthquakes in Venezuela increased to 2,595 people, acting President of the republic Delcy Rodriguez said on Friday.

"To date this is 2,595 killed," she said at a press conference.

At the same time Rodriguez did not specify how many people are listed as missing. According to unofficial data published by the media, the number of missing persons reaches approximately 38,500 people.

The acting president of Venezuela also denied information that the government reacted too slowly to the destruction caused by two earthquakes.

"This was a natural tragedy on a scale that we could not even imagine, although we knew that a seismic event could occur in our country," Rodriguez stated.

Rodriguez added that search and rescue operations continue. "We can still find living people," she emphasized.

It was previously reported about 2,295 killed and 11,267 injured.

Earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2, 7.5 and 4.5 occurred in Venezuela last Wednesday evening local time (after 01:00 Moscow time on Thursday) and on Thursday morning. The state of La Guaira in the north of the country was particularly affected.

Source: Interfax