Medical workers provide emergency care at temporary medical station for quake victims in Venezuela

Medical workers have been providing emergency care for quake-hit victims at a temporary medical station in La Guaira, a coastal state in northern Venezuela and one of the areas hardest hit by two powerful earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday.

The medical station has been set up near the ruins left by the tremors. As rescue efforts continued, sanitation and epidemic prevention have become major concerns.

"We need them to pay attention to the sanitation issue right now. The smell from the bodies of the deceased is already noticeable, and mosquitoes and insects are breeding everywhere. There is a risk of infectious disease outbreaks after the earthquake. We need professional medical help," said Simena, a local resident.

Many medical workers have volunteered to offer assistance, working around the clock in rotating shifts to help as many victims as possible.

"When the injured are brought here after being found at the site, we immediately step in to help, using the medical skills we have learned," said Javier, a doctor.

The death toll from the earthquakes has risen to 1,430, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Saturday.

"Our country is facing such a big disaster, and every one of us wants to do our part to get through it together. We've sent a team of medical students here to help with the handling of the deceased. The golden 72-hour rescue window has now passed, and the number of the deceased continues to rise. Our focus has shifted to comforting the families of the victims. To be honest, we don't care where we sleep and we just want to save as many people as we can," said Maira, a nurse.

Medical workers provide emergency care at temporary medical station for quake victims in Venezuela

Medical workers provide emergency care at temporary medical station for quake victims in Venezuela

A large number of rescuers are racing against time to save survivors from the rubble in La Guaira state, the worst-hit region by the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday.

The twin quakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, struck central Venezuela less than a minute apart on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Saturday that the death toll from the quakes had risen to 1,430, with 3,238 people injured and 3,142 families affected by the disaster.

La Guaira has been placed under military control. Access roads to the coastal state have been strictly restricted to emergency vehicles only, with civilian traffic barred to ensure unimpeded passage for rescue convoys, military trucks, and volunteer aid groups.

In one of the most dramatic scenes of destruction, an eight-story hotel with over 100 guest rooms in La Guaira has almost entirely collapsed, with only the entrance structure standing amid the debris.

Heavy machinery and a large number of rescuers are working at the site, where an estimated 20 to 30 people are believed to be trapped beneath the ruins -- most of them hotel staff.

"We estimate that 20 to 30 people are still trapped under the rubble. The number is significant. We also need to recover the deceased as quickly as possible," said a local official.

Authorities have called on the public to avoid traveling to the disaster zone to prevent clogging rescue routes, which are vital for delivering supplies and transferring the wounded to hospitals.

Rescuers race against time to save lives in Venezuela's La Guaira after devastating earthquake