Venezuela quake death toll tops 1,700

Aftershock hits Caracas as rescue efforts enter critical hours

CARACAS:

The death toll from last

week's twin earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to more than 1,700 people, top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday.

More than 5,000 were wounded in the disaster, and more than 15,000 left homeless, Rodriguez added in an address on state television.

Residents of Caracas woke up to an aftershock that rocked their houses, while rescue teams continued their fourth day of round-the-clock work in the areas affected by last week's powerful earthquakes in Venezuela.

A 4.6-magnitude aftershock centered at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) hit north of the Venezuelan capital Caracas early on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

No damage was immediately

reported from the aftershock,

the president of the National As-sembly, Jorge Rodriguez, said on social media.

Rescue efforts have been focusing particularly on La Guaira, the hardest-hit state of a country long mired in a deep political and economic crisis.

Wednesday's twin earthquakes have left close to 1,500 people confirmed dead and hundreds of collapsed buildings.

The international community has rallied to help Venezuela in the wake of the disaster. The country has received support from 24 countries, which have sent over 500 metric tons of sup-plies, more than 2,700 rescue and support personnel and about 86 canine teams, according to Venezuelan authorities.

National and international rescue teams continued their efforts throughout the night, while the families of the missing remain hopeful that survivors will be found.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shared the rescue of 21-year-old Aaron Levi in a collapsed building in the disaster-stricken state of La Guaira.

"This rescue was made

possible thanks to the coordinated efforts of rescue teams from Vene-zuela, Mexico, and El Salvador," he said on X.

Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, also echoed Levi's story, explaining that he was pulled out after 106 hours trapped under the rubble through a rescue operation that lasted 43 hours.