Death toll in Venezuelan earthquake nears 200 — political party

CARACAS, June 25. /TASS/. The death toll in the Venezuelan earthquake is nearing 200, with around 1,000 injured, Venezuelan politician Willian Rodrguez has told TASS.

"It’s too early to speak about precise numbers, but the death toll is already nearing 200, and the number of wounded exceeds 1,000," said Rodriguez, the vice-president of the Podemos ('We can') party, which is a coalition partner of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

In his words, the people of Caracas "were desperate and terrified because of how intense and long this earthquake was."

He said that a significant number of buildings collapsed in the capital’s eastern districts and in the state of La Guaira. No damage to oil facilities or critically important infrastructure has been reported.

The earthquake in Venezuela occurred on the evening of June 24. Two series of tremors were recorded about 40 seconds apart, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. Their epicenters were located about 10 km apart in Venezuela’s Yaracuy state. About 30 aftershocks followed. Venezuelan authorities declared a state of emergency. The government also declared the coastal La Guaira state a disaster zone.