• 

• News
• World news
• Earthquake

The clock continues to tick down to rescue survivors after ­Venezuela was hit by two quakes – with over one thousand dead and more than 60,000 missing.

Amid the increasingly desperate search, people dug through the rubble days after the disaster. It came after the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes, just seconds apart, struck on Wednesday evening.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be crucial to save people. The death toll stood at least 1,430 dead and at least 68,900 missing on Saturday night.

International rescue teams joined locals looking for loved ones with their bare hands atop mounds of toppled concrete in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit states.

Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, said: “Each person saved is a miracle.” He added: "We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described Saturday as a “crucial day” for search and rescue. He said: “We are driven on, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, by the sound of the survivors ­underneath the rubble.

“We cannot pause for a second while we hear them but the worst thing is when those voices go quiet. And we’re determined to save as many lives as we can now we’ve got 39 search and rescue teams, which are deployed already.”

Mr Fletcher added: “It’s always the first 72 hours after an earthquake. And, remember, for my team on the ground many of them have loved ones underneath the rubble. Many of them have lost their own homes. Our buildings, our offices have been ruined beyond use as well.”

In one dramatic scene, footage showed a newborn baby being rescued from the rubble on Friday. The mum was reportedly later pulled alive from the rubble.

Meanwhile, in Catia La Mar, north of Caracas, Ezequiel Frontado on Saturday peered down at a dozen bodies lying on the street.

They were covered with blankets that neighbours and rescuers had recovered from the rubble of nearby collapsed buildings. He was searching to see if any were his missing relatives.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said more than 14,000 members of the military and police were patrolling the area, where access is now blocked and special permits are required to enter.