Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes tops 1,400 as 'golden hour' passes; over 73,000 missing

The death toll from a series of powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela is rising rapidly. Three days after the quakes hit, the confirmed dead have surpassed 1,400 as rescue teams press ahead with survivor search operations.

Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, said the consecutive earthquakes that struck on June 24 had killed 1,430 people as of Saturday (local time), according to AP and other news agencies.

That figure represents an increase of more than 500 from the 920 deaths reported the previous day. The number of injured has also climbed to 3,238, with the scale of the disaster continuing to grow.

Based on family reports, the number of missing stood at a minimum of 68,900 as of Saturday morning. Officials have warned the toll could rise further as rescue operations continue.

The disaster began June 24 when a magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck along Venezuela's northern Caribbean coast, followed within seconds by a magnitude-7.5 tremor, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.

Venezuelan government teams, international relief organizations and volunteers are continuing search and rescue operations even after the 72-hour "golden window" — widely considered the critical period for finding survivors alive — has passed, in hopes of pulling out even one more survivor.

The international community has rallied to provide emergency relief supplies and rescue personnel. However, widespread building collapses and damage to communications and road networks are hampering rescue efforts, and the full scale of the disaster remains unclear for now.