JAKARTA - The number of deaths from two devastating earthquakes that hit Venezuela has risen to 164, with another 971 injured, said acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday, as quoted by local media.
In an initial report, Rodriguez said 32 people were killed and more than 700 others were injured after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes hit on Wednesday night, warning that the death toll could rise.
The earthquake was among the most powerful to hit Venezuela in more than 100 years.
Rodriguez then declared a national emergency after the earthquake hit the country's North Caribbean coast, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings throughout the region.
Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that there is a 42 percent chance that the number of fatalities could reach between 10,000 and 100,000 with the La Guaira region, near Caracas, as the state most affected by the earthquake.
According to local television station teleSur, citing Rodriguez, authorities are currently focusing on saving the lives of people trapped inside collapsed buildings and houses.
According to the latest technical data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), northern Venezuela was hit hard by a series of unusually powerful double earthquakes.
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