Venezuela's earthquake toll rises to at least 920 dead as rescuers race against time

The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday rose to at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured, according to the toll given on Friday by the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodr guez, who specified that at least 172 people remain trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams worked against the clock more than 48 hours after the quakes, as the chances of finding survivors narrowed.

We must announce with sorrow that 920 people have died from the extremely violent action of the June 24 earthquakes, Rodr guez said in a broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisi n. According to the toll, the tremors affected at least 383 buildings, 13 hospitals and some 1,002 additional structures. Most of the deaths were concentrated in the coastal state of La Guaira, the hardest hit, which along with Vargas state was placed under the control of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces. The lawmaker asked the public to avoid traveling to the area so as not to congest the routes used by rescue brigades.

Despite the time elapsed, teams were still rescuing people alive. A brigade from El Salvador located a 15-year-old girl trapped on the ninth floor of a collapsed building in Catia La Mar, and other survivors were reported in the town of Caraballeda. Rescuers used percussion equipment to break concrete in a controlled way, though constant aftershocks —more than 200 since the quakes— and a lack of heavy machinery in some areas slowed the work. In several places, neighbors dug through the ruins in search of their relatives.