[Anchor]

We continue our coverage of the powerful earthquake in Venezuela. As rescue operations progress, the scale of the damage is snowballing. So far, 920 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 3,300 injured. With critical infrastructure destroyed, rescue efforts and the delivery of relief supplies are facing significant setbacks.

Min Gyeong-ho reports.

[Reporter]

La Guaira, in northern Venezuela, has been hit hardest by the series of powerful earthquakes.

People are seen tearing open the doors of shops next to buildings collapsed by the quake, carrying out whatever goods they can find.

The city center has been reduced to ruins, and as relief efforts are delayed, residents are resorting to looting shops to secure daily necessities.

[Isabel Vargilla/Venezuelan Disaster Victim: We are sleeping on the streets, searching for food. We have no homes, nowhere to live. It is a total disaster.]

The Venezuelan government has decided to deploy 11,500 security personnel, including military troops, to La Guaira in phases and to restrict access for civilians.

[Diosdado Cabello/Venezuelan Minister of Interior: Anyone wishing to enter La Guaira must comply with all procedures set by the President. This is a humanitarian decision to ensure that those in urgent need can be rescued quickly.]

On the third day since the series of earthquakes struck, the number of casualties has surged as military troops and international rescue teams have been deployed.

The death toll has reached 920, with 3,360 people reported injured.

The UN estimates that more than 50,000 people are missing.

[Omar Guariato/Venezuelan Disaster Victim: My daughter went out to look for my granddaughter, and the three-story building next door collapsed and buried her. My daughter is trapped there.]

Across the country, 1,423 buildings have collapsed or been damaged, and there are 4,000 displaced people. The UN projects that up to 6.76 million people could be directly or indirectly affected by the aftermath of the earthquake, including building collapses and infrastructure damage.

Frustration with the Venezuelan government is growing.

[Nazareth Jimenez/Family Member of Missing Person: They haven't cleared anything. Where is the relief aid? Look, there is still smoke, but you don't see any firefighters putting out the flames. We don't see anything.]

Observers suggest that if the government fails to properly manage the aftermath of this earthquake, the interim government led by Rodriguez, which receives support from the United States, could face a political crisis.

(Video Editing: Ahn Yeo-jin)