Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes rises to 589

Foreign rescue teams and aid arrived in Venezuela on Friday, nearly two days after devastating twin earthquakes flattened areas in and around the capital Caracas.

Residents have been digging through rubble to save relatives, friends and neighbors since the disaster struck, Reuters reported.

How many people died in the Venezuela earthquakes?

The government has confirmed 589 deaths and 2,980 injuries, with hundreds more believed trapped or missing. A website set up to track unaccounted-for people had logged 50,000 reports as of Friday morning, though the U.S. Geological Survey has predicted more than 10,000 deaths could ultimately result.

The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors struck about 160 kilometres west of Caracas on Wednesday evening, as Venezuelans were marking a public holiday. They rank among the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history.

How is Venezuela's government responding?

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who took power after the United States arrested her predecessor in a January raid, has pledged a massive deployment of assistance. Help remained patchy on Thursday, with firefighters, police and the military visible on the streets in some areas but largely absent in others.

La Guaira, a coastal city just outside Caracas, suffered the worst damage, with at least 100 buildings, including high-rise apartments, collapsing. Many residents combed through debris with their hands or makeshift tools and said state help and proper equipment were lacking, even as state television showed Rodriguez visiting the area and pledging aid.

"He's under the slabs and there's no machinery to get him out," said Yamileth Jimenez, describing her 19-year-old son's entrapment in the debris of their seven-story apartment building. Venezuelans have also organized their own relief efforts, with motorcycle caravans carrying supplies from Caracas to La Guaira on Thursday evening. Dozens more rode through the night from Valencia, bringing food and other supplies.

Which countries are sending aid to Venezuela?

Foreign rescue teams, including from countries that have long opposed Venezuela's government, began arriving late Thursday. A small Dominican Republic contingent reached La Guaira first, followed by 250 rescuers from Mexico, 188 from El Salvador and nearly 100 from Spain. A Colombian air force plane carrying 63 rescue crew was en route Friday morning, while Switzerland and Germany also sent teams equipped with search dogs and specialized gear.

The United States said it is mobilizing $150 million in aid, and Washington eased long-standing sanctions to allow earthquake assistance that would otherwise be restricted. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would send rescue teams and that the Pentagon would help support Caracas' damaged airport. Rodriguez thanked donor countries on Friday morning and said foreign teams had been distributed across affected areas.

How are Venezuelans coping with the disaster?

The earthquakes struck a nation already weakened by decades of economic and political turmoil that has impoverished residents and triggered a migratory exodus of millions. "My building is uninhabitable and now I have nothing. It's just me and my son, and I have no family in the country," said Suhayl Sarquiz, 50, who lost her job months earlier.

The U.N.'s migration agency said nearly 7 million people could be affected and is supplying emergency shelter and other relief. Pedro Perez, 64, an upholstery workshop owner, said he lost both his home and business and slept on the street Thursday night with his wife and children. "We lost everything," he said. "We hope help arrives quickly."

Near the epicenter in Moron, a seaside town in Carabobo state, houses crumpled and residents were left without water or electricity. Families salvaged what they could, including mattresses, televisions and washing machines.

Has the earthquake disrupted Venezuela's oil industry?

Foreign energy companies operating in the OPEC member country said their operations had not suffered major disruption, and oil infrastructure appeared largely spared. The Caracas Stock Exchange remained closed and was converted into an aid collection center.

The current disaster has already surpassed Venezuela's previous deadliest earthquake on record, a 1967 quake that killed 240 people.