At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured in Venezuela after the country was hit by two powerful earthquakes, acting president Delcy Rodríguez said.

The latest figures mark a sharp increase from an earlier reported toll of 32 dead and 700 injured. Authorities fear the numbers could rise further as rescue efforts continue.

Yesterday’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to the hardest-hit La Guaira area, which sits north of the capital Caracas.