Death toll rises after double earthquake hit Venezuela as update has 50,000 people missing

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez has confirmed the death toll as a result of a double earthquake earlier this week has risen to 589.

The South American nation was hit by a 7.2 magnitude quake in the state of Yaracuy, west of the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday (June 24).

That was followed by a second 7.5 earthquake, which was recorded nearby, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring agency.

Following the tragedy, President Donald Trump said the US would be assisting with rescue efforts.

"The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," he wrote on Truth Social.

"The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!! President DJT."

A double earthquake has devastated Venezuela (Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)

Figures from the missing persons website Desaparecidos Terremoto Venezuela state that at the time of writing, more than 59,000 people have been reported missing following the earthquake.

More than 8,700 civilians have been located, which leaves just over 50,000 people unaccounted for at this time.

On Friday (June 26), Rodríguez confirmed on state television that 589 people have died and 2,980 have been injured as a result of the tragedy.

That was more than double the number of deaths reported by Venezuela's health minister in the previous official update.

589 people have died as a result of the tragedy (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

The acting president of the country went on to say on Friday that the state of La Guaira will be 'militarised' to help the emergency response, with it being one of the worst affected areas.

She said on state television that there have been 214 aftershocks so far, which 'demonstrates and reflects the seismic activity in our territory', according to Rodríguez.

Despite the high number of casualties, the acting president went on to say dozens of people have been rescued alive.

"It brings us joy that they can embrace their families and loved ones," she said.

Firefighters, soldiers and volunteers are continuing to dig through collapsed buildings in Caracas and surrounding areas in the hope of finding survivors.

Neighborhoods across the capital and other states have been left in ruins, as the death toll is expected to increase.

Meanwhile, international aid is now arriving in the country, which should help with the rescue efforts.

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