Deaths from the powerful earthquake in Venezuela on the 24th are estimated to be nearing 3,000.
AFP reported on Jul. 4, citing the Venezuelan government's official announcement, that 2,954 people have been confirmed dead in the quake.
That is 309 more than the 2,645 reported a day earlier. The number of injured has surpassed 16,000.
The Venezuelan government counts official deaths based on bodies that have been recovered. As time passes, the number of victims is likely to keep rising.
The Venezuelan government has not released an official tally of the missing. However, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has estimated that the number of people missing in the quake could reach 50,000.
International rescue teams and Venezuela's fire and military authorities are carrying out rescue operations, but as the quake enters its 10th day, the chances of finding more survivors are diminishing.
On Jul. 2, eight days after the earthquake, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, 43, a night security guard at a shopping center in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, was dramatically rescued, but there have been no further reports of survivors since.
Rescue teams appear to be winding down searches for survivors. However, foreign media said bereaved families still cannot leave the sites.