&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Venezuela declares seven days of mourning as earthquake death toll nears 3,000")
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Wednesday (July 1) declared seven days of national mourning after last week's devastating twin earthquakes killed at least 2,295 people, injured more than 11,000 and left thousands more unaccounted for.
"Venezuela's soul is torn apart by the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes," Rodriguez wrote on her Telegram account while announcing the period of national mourning from 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Wednesday.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the death toll had risen to 2,295, with nearly 13,000 people left homeless. The United Nations estimates that around 50,000 people remain missing.
The worst destruction was reported in the coastal city of La Guaira, north of Caracas, where many collapsed buildings have been marked with the letter "D" for "deceased", indicating they had been searched and no signs of life were found.
The two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, flattened entire neighbourhoods in oil-rich Venezuela, where years of economic crisis had already weakened infrastructure and healthcare services. The disaster struck as the country remained in a fragile political transition, six months after the United States ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.
International rescue teams have joined search efforts across the affected areas, while many residents have voiced frustration over the government's response. As rescue operations continue, thousands remain without shelter, while food and clean drinking water are becoming increasingly scarce.
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The World Food Programme on Tuesday appealed for $50 million to provide food assistance to around 500,000 people in Venezuela over the next three months.
Health officials have also warned of a growing risk of disease outbreaks. World Health Organisation spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the country's health services were under "extreme pressure."
"There's an increased risk now of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases" such as measles and diphtheria, due to low pre-earthquake vaccination coverage, he said.
According to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by NASA, the earthquakes likely damaged or destroyed 58,870 buildings.
Amid the devastation, rescuers also found a reason for hope. A three-year-old boy was pulled alive from the rubble in Caracas on Tuesday, a week after the earthquakes struck.
The boy's vital signs were good, the Jordanian civil defence said in a statement, adding that local authorities had been informed of the rescue.
