Rescue teams and volunteers in Venezuela are racing against time to locate survivors after twin earthquakes devastated the country’s northern coast, leaving at least 1,430 people dead and more than 51,000 others still missing.
The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction across the coastal region of La Guaira, where authorities say hopes of finding additional survivors are rapidly diminishing.
Thousands of rescue workers, volunteers and local residents continued searching through collapsed buildings on Saturday as the critical 72-hour survival window drew to a close.
With government rescue resources stretched in the hardest-hit areas, many residents have joined the search effort, digging through the rubble with their bare hands in a desperate attempt to find missing relatives and neighbours.