Death Toll from Venezuela Earthquake Nears 3,000... Up to 50,000 Missing

[Financial News] The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Venezuela on the 24th of last month is nearing 3,000.
On the 4th, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, citing official Venezuelan government figures, that the death toll from the quake had reached 2,954. That was up 309 from the 2,645 confirmed the previous day. The total number of injured was also estimated to have surpassed 16,000.
Because the official death toll compiled by authorities is based on bodies that have been recovered, the scale of the damage is expected to grow over time. The Venezuelan government has not officially disclosed the number of missing people, but the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the number of missing from the disaster could reach as many as 50,000.
Local fire and military authorities, along with international rescue teams, are continuing the search together. However, 10 days after the earthquake, the chances of finding additional survivors have become extremely slim. On the 2nd, the eighth day after the quake, the last reported rescue was the dramatic survival of 43-year-old night security guard Hernan Alberto Gil Flores at a shopping mall in Catia La Mar, La Guaira State. Since then, there have been no further reports of survivors being pulled out alive.
As a result, there are signs at the scene that search operations are gradually being scaled back. Even so, bereaved families are still staying at the evacuation site, unable to give up hope at the slightest sign of life from beneath the collapsed buildings, foreign media reported.
hwlee@fnnews.com Lee Hwan-ju Reporter