Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 589 as rescue efforts continue

The death toll from two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela has climbed to 589, according to acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

International rescue teams have begun arriving to support search operations, including 80 specialists from Switzerland and a humanitarian team from Mexico already working on the ground, Caliber.Az reports, citing the BBC.

Emergency crews continued searching overnight through collapsed buildings in Caracas and the state of La Guaira, where rescuers reported hearing people calling for help from beneath the rubble.

Earlier, rescue workers successfully pulled a woman alive from the debris.

A doctor in La Guaira told the BBC that the state's two main hospitals are "completely overwhelmed" and facing a "critical lack" of medical supplies.

The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck just one minute apart on the night of June 24.

The second quake was the strongest to hit Venezuela since 1900.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov