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Rescue efforts in Venezuela continue as thousands of people remain missing — trapped under the rubble of flattened homes and buildings nearly a week after two back-to-back earthquakes devastated the capital, Caracas, and the nearby city of La Guaira. Rescue teams are desperately searching for survivors, with Venezuelan health officials saying Monday that over 1,700 people are confirmed dead. The toll is expected to rise dramatically as the window for finding survivors closes.

In the face of the wreckage, “we’re seeing also a lot of solidarity from the Venezuelan people” who are sharing space and resources with those displaced by the quakes, says Beatriz Ochoa, Latin America head of advocacy for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Looking ahead, “We will need to transition to more medium- and longer-term solutions, so that people can have affordable housing and a more dignified place to sleep and to be able to rebuild their lives,” says Ochoa, calling for more international support.

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn now to Venezuela, where rescue efforts continue as tens of thousands of people remain missing, trapped under the rubble of flattened homes and buildings, nearly a week after two back-to-back earthquakes devastated La Guaira and Caracas. Rescue teams are desperately searching for survivors, with Venezuelan health officials saying Monday over 1,700 people are confirmed dead, with the toll expected to soar. The U.N. has said they are procuring 10,000 body bags.

This all comes as the Associated Press reports it’s believed more than a hundred Venezuelans who were deported from the United States to Caracas, hours before the earthquakes, have died. Very few survivors of that group describe being left in a hotel in La Guaira and having to crawl out of the rubble.

The US May Not Have Troops on the Ground, But Venezuela’s Government Is Occupied

For more, we go to Caracas, where we’re joined by Beatriz Ochoa, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Latin America head of advocacy.

Describe what’s happening as you sit there today, Beatriz.

BEATRIZ OCHOA: Thank you very much for having me and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

What we are seeing is a lot of devastation, not only in Caracas, but also in other parts of the........

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