Death toll from Venezuela quakes nears 2,300

LA GUAIRA STATE, July 2: Last week's twin earthquakes in Venezuela have killed 2,295 people, top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said on Wednesday.

Thousands more were injured and left homeless by the temblors, Rodriguez said in an address on state television.

From Ecuador, Switzerland and Germany, Maria Pessina and her siblings scoured chat groups and social media for news of their mother, after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela eight days ago.

After a four-day search, a photo confirmed the worst -- Magnolia had died in the collapse of her building in Caracas.

"The agony is over," Pessina said after she was finally able to confirm that the clothes on one of the bodies found under the rubble belonged to her 79-year-old mother.�"REUTERS