The death toll from two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela rose to at least 164, with 971 others injured, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said Thursday, according to local media.

The earthquakes were among the most powerful to hit Venezuela in more than 100 years, with tremors felt across a wide area.Late Wednesday, Rodriguez declared a national state of emergency after the earthquakes struck the country's northern Caribbean coast, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings across the region.

Rescuers used heavy machinery and their bare hands on Friday in a race to save survivors of deadly twin earthquakes in Venezuela that killed at least 235 people, hurt thousands and flattened scores of buildings.

International rescuers and aid have begun arriving to help a nation struggling to respond two days after its strongest quake in well over a century struck west of Caracas.

Rubble from collapsed buildings had trapped more than 200 people under debris, National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said Thursday.

At the site of one of those flattened buildings, workers used sledgehammers to break the debris and called for "absolute silence" in order to hear survivors, AFP footage showed.

Health Minister Carlos Alvarado reported the death toll had risen to at least 235, with around 4,300 people injured.

Rescue efforts have moved slowly, with bodies still visible under debris hours after the quakes, while time ran out for some of those who were trapped and injured.

But help has begun to arrive, with a senior American military official landing in Venezuela's capital Caracas to oversee US relief efforts.

Nations around the world have pledged send rescuers, money and aid, with the United States saying it was deploying two warships, transport planes and helicopters and mobilizing $150 million in aid.

Venezuela earthquakes death toll rose to 920 as the situation has grown more desperate by the hour in Venezuela as people dig through the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings three days after the devastating one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, knowing time is running out to find survivors.

Authorities announced on Friday night that they would block access to La Guaira, the epicenter of the destruction, as chaos and traffic began to hamper search efforts. Officials said anyone who wants to enter would now have to seek official permits, but provided few details of who would be allowed in.

Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands, citing a scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of Wednesday's quakes climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing. People reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas, despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response, AP reported.

Venezuela's death toll hits 2,295 with 50,000 still missing a week after twin quakes, as survivors battle food shortages and disease fears

Hope of finding more survivors faded Wednesday as Venezuela marked a week since twin earthquakes killed almost 2,300 people, while many who lived through the disaster were running desperately short on food.

As the death toll mounted, Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez declared seven days of mourning, saying the country's "soul is torn apart by the human losses."

Tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for.