Government raises number of Spaniards killed in Venezuela double earthquake to 27

Venezuela earthquake

The number of missing people has decreased to 137, while another eleven have been located under the rubble

T. Nieva

Spain's Foreign Ministry has raised the official number of Spaniards killed in the devastating double earthquake in Venezuela to 27.

The number of missing people has decreased from 150 to 137, but the number of those trapped under the rubble remains at eleven.

The Foreign Ministry is keeping "all consular emergency lines open". They can be found on the social media accounts of the ministry and the embassy in Caracas.

Related story

• • ‘We’re here to rescue people alive’: the Spanish military emergency unit’s race against time in La Guaira

  Jorge Benezra

The two earthquakes (7.5 and 7.2) hit the central Venezuelan coast on 24 June.

Venezuelan authorities have raised the death toll to nearly 2,300 and the number of injured to more than 11,000.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez announced on Thursday night that search and rescue efforts for survivors continue.

"We have hope and faith," she said at an event broadcast on state television channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), during which she awarded medals to rescue teams from Italy and Switzerland.

A group of rescuers from several countries have been working for more than 60 hours to rescue a survivor trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in the coastal state of La Guaira, the area the earthquakes hit the hardest.

Rodríguez said that her country is experiencing "one of the worst natural disasters it has ever known" and expressed her gratitude to the experts from 31 nations who have gone to Venezuela to "help and give life".

The deployment of 3,000 international rescuers has allowed 12 people trapped under the rubble to be saved, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team confirmed.

Chilean Sebastián Mocarquer said that the rescue efforts of international teams are coming to an end. The rescue teams will return to their countries and there will be a transition period to begin recovering the remains of the deceased, a task only the Venezuelan authorities will handle due to equipment, legal and forensic matters.

The Dutch team announced on Wednesday that it is concluding its mission, as the chances of finding survivors have diminished. In its latest report, the Venezuelan government said that the joint efforts of various team have rescued some 6,461 people.