Three days after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, the scale of the disaster is becoming increasingly clear, with the death toll rising to 1,430 and more than 3,200 people injured, authorities said on Saturday.
Thousands are still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, who said hopes of finding survivors are fading with each passing hour, although rescue workers continue to pull some people out alive.
The magnitude-7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck back-to-back on Wednesday have been followed by 430 aftershocks, Rodríguez said.
The worst destruction was reported in the coastal state of La Guaira and in the capital, Caracas, where entire blocks of high-rise buildings were levelled.
Mexican rescue teams working in the collapsed Petunia residential complex in the Chacao district of Caracas said they no longer believed anyone could have survived inside.
"Due to the weight of the structure, they consider it highly unlikely that there are any survivors," Chacao Mayor Gustavo Duque said in a video message. Inspections showed that concrete slabs had been completely compressed, he said.
Chacao, in eastern Caracas, is among the areas hardest hit by the disaster. Several buildings in the well-to-do neighbourhoods of Los Palos Grandes and Altamira collapsed.
Police and soldiers have cordoned off surrounding streets to prevent desperate relatives from entering the disaster zone in search of missing loved ones.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez visited Chacao on Friday but was met with boos, according to local media. One woman accused her of exploiting the tragedy for political purposes in footage published by newspaper El Nacional.
Rodríguez has led Venezuela's government since January, when long-time leader Nicolás Maduro was detained by the US military in Caracas to face drug-related charges in the United States.
The fate of tens of thousands of people remains unclear as electricity and mobile phone services have yet to be fully restored across affected regions. Many families remain without permanent shelter.
According to Rodríguez, more than 380 residential buildings and 13 hospitals have been destroyed or severely damaged, along with shopping centres and other public facilities.
International assistance continues to arrive. Rescue teams from numerous countries are taking part in search operations with specialist equipment and sniffer dogs.
An unofficial online platform established to help locate missing people currently lists more than 55,000 individuals as unaccounted for.
Experts warn that the critical window for finding survivors narrows sharply after 72 hours, raising fears that time is running out for those still buried beneath the debris.
