The death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela has climbed to 920, while at least 3,360 people have been injured, authorities said on Friday as rescue teams continued searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, reports BBC.
National Assembly chief Jorge Rodríguez said at least 172 people remain missing under the rubble, with the toll expected to rise.
The twin earthquakes, including a powerful 7.5-magnitude tremor, struck the country on Wednesday. The northern state of La Guaira has suffered the worst damage, with hundreds of buildings destroyed, including hospitals and shopping centres.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said 214 aftershocks have been recorded since the disaster. She added that dozens of people had been rescued alive, while emergency teams continued searching through the debris.
Makeshift medical centres have been set up to treat the injured as hospitals struggle to cope with the growing number of patients.
"Our hospitals lack supplies and medicines. This tragedy has made the situation even more difficult," doctor Pedro Javier Fernandez said.
International rescue teams from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Mexico, Switzerland and several other countries have joined the search operation. The United Nations has also pledged to coordinate humanitarian assistance.
Families across the country are anxiously waiting for news of missing relatives. In La Guaira, Natacha Diaz said her two daughters remained trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed shopping centre where they worked.
"I just want them back with me. They are all I have," she said.
Amid the devastation, rescuers pulled three young siblings alive from the rubble in La Guaira, offering a rare moment of hope.
The disaster has further strained Venezuela's already fragile infrastructure, which has been weakened by years of economic crisis and underinvestment.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
