DEATH TOLL HAS RISEN TO OVER 1,700

CARACAS, JUNE 29 /SRNA-Reuters/ - The number of people killed in the twin earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to more than 1,700, said lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez.

"More than 5,000 people have been injured, and over 15,000 have been left homeless," Rodríguez said in a statement on state television.

Nearly 400 residential buildings were destroyed in the earthquakes, and infrastructure and hospitals were damaged.