I Hear my Son Crying Beneath the Rubble; Says Venezuela Earthquake Survivor

I saw more than 50 damaged buildings in the town of La Guaira. Official figures show more than 1,400 structures have been affected in the region.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, says the earthquakes are “the most disastrous event this republic has suffered in the last 123 years”. The official death toll for the country has risen to 1,430, with 3,238 injured.

But with tens of thousands still reported missing, emergency services are working around the clock to find survivors.

Several police and military officers could be seen on the streets of La Guaira. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has said 14,000 were sent to the state, which she says has been “militarised” for safety.

At first, I could see just one small tractor on the street. Heavy machinery later appeared after what must have been a difficult journey via a small, broken road.

As the hours passed, some told the screaming families to be quiet, but their pleas were drowned out by the crowds and motorcycles.

Volunteers handed out medicine to anyone who needed it, and clothes were left in piles on the ground in the hopes they would be given to people in need.

At night, the situation in La Guaira became more desperate. Bodies were carried out by volunteers without specialised equipment, being hauled into cars and vans.

Ambulances were unable to get into the town, and our driver Leo saw injured people being driven away on the back of motorbikes because traffic was so heavy, particularly around a collapsed bridge nearby.

I also witnessed a tense moment of police trying to control a situation with a possible thief.

Relatives were camping in the streets, waiting for news of their loved ones. They are staying put because of concerns that the government will make the roads, and therefore their collapsed homes, inaccessible.