According to AFP, Venezuelan authorities on July 30 (local time) began dismantling buildings in La Guaira state - the area most heavily affected after the double earthquake that occurred at the end of June.
According to official figures, the two earthquakes killed more than 5,500 people, completely collapsed 190 buildings and damaged 856 other structures.
The Venezuelan government said that the disaster also injured nearly 17,000 people. To date, the government has not announced the number of missing people, but experts estimate this number could reach 10,000 people.
All structures will only be demolished after no more victims need to be searched for or taken out," Venezuelan Transport Minister Francisco Garces said at a press conference on July 28.
Before deploying the demolition work, the Venezuelan army cordoned off the area. The first building to be demolished with explosives was a 12-story apartment building - which had partially collapsed and leaned towards the streets.
Currently, rescue teams and relatives of the victims are continuing to search in the rubble in La Guaira state, hoping to find the remaining missing people.
