Residents and volunteers in Venezuela's La Guaira are racing against time to find survivors trapped beneath rubble, holding on to hopes of a "miracle" despite dwindling chances.

Families of the missing say they have had to rely largely on community donations to secure tools and equipment, while rescuers warn that a lack of heavy machinery is hampering search efforts.

International teams and rescue dogs have joined the operation, but some foreign crews have already been withdrawn as the window for finding survivors of the twin earthquakes narrows.