At least 920 people have died and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday, with the coastal state of La Guaira bearing the brunt of the destruction. The official death toll, announced by Venezuelan authorities, also includes more than 3,300 injured, while the United Nations estimates that 50,000 people are missing. On Friday evening, the government moved to restrict access to the disaster zone, requiring all volunteers to register in Caracas before entering.

From 8 p.m. local time, only those with assigned tasks will be permitted into La Guaira, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in a state television broadcast. Volunteers, particularly motorcyclists who have been ferrying supplies, must now report to a registration centre at the Poliedro in Caracas to receive a QR-coded credential or an identifying vest. Cabello justified the measure by citing residents’ complaints that the influx of spontaneous helpers was obstructing ambulances and rescue convoys, and warned of a potential public-health risk from decomposing bodies still trapped under rubble. The zone has been placed under the control of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, with 11,500 security personnel deployed, according to government statements.

Tensions flared on the ground, however, as acting President Delcy Rodríguez was booed and heckled during a visit to a devastated neighbourhood. Residents behind cordon lines shouted that “the government is doing nothing for the people,” journalists at the scene reported. The restrictions stand in contrast to accounts from the first hours after the quakes, when much of the initial rescue and aid effort was carried out by civilians, who complained of a lack of official teams. Social-media videos showed National Guard officers turning back vehicles carrying supplies at checkpoints, including on the road to El Junquito, also in La Guaira state.

International rescue teams from Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Ecuador, Spain, Colombia and the United States are now working in the area, with contingents from Germany, the Netherlands and Italy en route. A Chilean team leader told Agence France-Presse that the collapse of several five-storey buildings was total and that the probability of finding survivors was low. The UN’s missing-persons estimate remains unconfirmed by Venezuelan authorities, and the official casualty figures are considered provisional as search operations continue.