Death toll in Venezuela quake tops 1,400 as rescue efforts intensify

The death toll from Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes rose ​above 1,400 on Saturday as foreign rescue teams poured into the country and authorities pressed on with the search ‌for survivors in the hardest-hit coastal areas.
The updated toll came as rescuers fanned out across La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble, often complaining of scant heavy equipment and a limited official presence.
Officials said more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived ​and that additional teams were on the way, adding to a growing international response to the twin quakes that struck ​on Wednesday and unleashed hundreds of aftershocks.
In La Guaira, a coastal state popular with beachgoers, residents said ⁠the disaster response had been uneven, with some people digging through collapsed buildings by hand in search of missing relatives.
Top lawmaker ​Jorge Rodriguez told state television that the death toll had reached 1,430. He said thousands had been injured, families had been moved to shelters ​and aid was being distributed across disaster zones, especially in La Guaira.
He also said authorities were still monitoring frequent aftershocks, underscoring the force of the twin earthquakes and the difficulties facing rescue crews working in unstable conditions.
Authorities continued to restrict access to La Guaira and kept controls on the main road from ​Caracas, saying traffic was slowing emergency vehicles. Civilians not attached to official rescue teams needed credentials to pass checkpoints.
Power throughout the region ​was gradually being restored. Venezuela's power grid, crippled by years of underinvestment and economic sanctions, regularly experiences problems, leading to daily, hours-long blackouts in some regions.