The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela has risen to at least 164, with 971 people injured, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on Thursday, according to local media.
Earlier in the day, Rodríguez had reported 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries, warning that the number of casualties was expected to increase as rescue operations continued.
The 7.2-magnitude and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening, causing widespread devastation and becoming among the strongest seismic events to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
The powerful tremors were felt across a vast area, while emergency crews continued search and rescue efforts in the affected regions.