The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes neared 1,500 on Sunday as rescue workers raced against the clock to find survivors among the nearly 50,000 people still unaccounted for. 

The number of dead was expected to climb, and people reported tens of thousands of missing on independent digital databases.

The 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century.

The US Geological Survey predicted more than 10,000 deaths from the earthquakes.

Foreign rescue teams – including some from countries which have opposed Venezuela during decades of international isolation, political repression and economic deterioration – began arriving late on Thursday, with a small contingent from the Dominican Republic the first to reach La Guaira.

The death toll from the Venezuela earthquakes reached 920 on Friday, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Friday. More than 3,360 people are injured with at least 172 still trapped under the rubble in the aftermath of the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck in quick succession on Wednesday evening. Families posted online images of their loved ones who have not been heard from since the earthquakes. As of Friday morning, 57,287 people had been reported missing, and there was still no contact from 49, 519 of them. Rodríguez told CNN that the public should avoid La Guaira, the hardest-hit area. “We appreciate the overwhelming desire to help, but the roads we are using to transport the injured are becoming congested. The best way to help is to keep the roads clear so that medical teams can transport patients and rescue crews can carry out their work more effectively,” he said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced the new death toll as she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over…