The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has passed 4,300, the government said on Saturday.

Axar.az informs, citing Guardian, at least 4,333 people were killed and 16,740 injured in the back-to-back quakes on 24 June that flattened entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira, the Venezuelan parliament chief, Jorge Rodriguez, wrote on Telegram. Thousands more people are listed as missing.

A 7.5-magnitude quake – the biggest in Venezuela in over a century – struck 39 seconds after a 7.2-magnitude shock, flattening entire high-rise apartment blocks.

Although rescue teams have halted searches for survivors, family members continue to scour the ruins for their loved ones in the hope of giving them a dignified burial.