Venezuela earthquake death toll nears 1000, search intensifies for hundreds trapped

Earthquake of magnitude 4.9 struck on Friday.

Desperate Venezuelans and rescue teams raced ​to find survivors on Friday as the death toll from twin earthquakes rises near 1000 with foreign crews and aid only beginning to reach devastated areas nearly two days after the ‌quakes.

The government said 172 people remained trapped, 920 were dead and 3,360 injured after the quakes devastated parts of Caracas and surrounding areas on Wednesday evening. More than 50,000 people were reported missing.

Another weaker earthquake of magnitude 4.9 struck on Friday afternoon and was felt in Caracas and nearby Maracay.

Anger grew over the slow pace of relief in badly affected areas like La Guaira state, where residents and volunteers were still searching through rubble by hand due to a lack of heavy machinery and limited official help.

Jennifer Palacios, 25, said her 6-year-old son and five other relatives were still buried in a housing complex in La Guaira.

She said the local community had been rescuing people alive, but cranes were urgently needed to move heavy debris because many people were still trapped.

The disaster may have political effects for interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who has presented herself as a figure of political change despite previously serving as vice president under Nicolás Maduro.

UN report estimated that the total damage from the two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, is around $6.7 billion. The second quake was the strongest Venezuela has experienced in over 100 years.