The confirmed death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela has passed 589 and continues to rise, with thousands of people still listed as missing, according to Venezuelan authorities. The United Nations is scaling up its humanitarian response.
Rescue teams from Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, and the United States are continuing round-the-clock operations alongside Venezuelan civil defence workers. The figure of 589 confirmed dead is as of Saturday afternoon local time and is expected to climb as teams reach areas where access was delayed.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has activated emergency protocols. Aid pledges from member states were expected through the weekend.
Venezuela's capacity to respond to a disaster of this scale was degraded before the earthquakes struck. A decade of economic deterioration has weakened the country's emergency services and infrastructure, compounding the toll in ways a better-resourced country would not face.
The twin earthquakes are the largest single loss of life recorded anywhere globally this week.
