Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - The death toll from Venezuela’s twin earthquakes has climbed to 920, with officials saying more than 50,000 people remain missing as rescue operations continue across the battered north coast. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said more than 3,300 people have been injured, while emergency crews from several countries are joining the search for survivors.

The worst destruction is in La Guaira, near Caracas, where one building after another collapsed when the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck within seconds of each other on Wednesday evening. Reports say at least four residential towers have fallen in Caracas, dozens of buildings have cracked or been structurally damaged, and hospitals, shopping centres and other public facilities have also been hit hard. Survivors have been sleeping outside in the open as looting has broken out in some areas, while local volunteers and rescue teams use heavy machinery, drills and hand tools to reach people trapped beneath the rubble.

The humanitarian response has expanded quickly, with international rescue teams, sniffer dogs and aid workers arriving to support operations in the disaster zone. The United Nations’ humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said more than 50,000 people were missing and described the search as a “very, very complex emergency response,” while governments including Mexico, Spain and El Salvador have sent crews to help. The full scale of the disaster is still emerging, and officials warn the death toll could rise further as more damaged areas are reached.

With tens of thousands still unaccounted for and entire neighbourhoods flattened, Venezuela is confronting one of the deadliest earthquake disasters in its history. Rescue teams now face a race against time to find survivors and recover the missing before the window for saving lives closes.