Rescuers on Friday worked through rubble with heavy machinery and bare hands in a desperate effort to find survivors after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing at least 235 people, injuring thousands and flattening large sections of buildings.
International teams and aid began arriving as the country struggled to respond two days after its most powerful quake in more than a century hit west of Caracas.
National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said more than 200 people were still trapped under collapsed structures.
At one devastated site, workers used sledgehammers to break through debris while calling for “absolute silence” to listen for signs of life, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) footage.
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said the death toll had climbed to at least 235, with about 4,300 people injured.
