UPDATE: Venezuela earthquakes claim lives of four Spaniards and trap four, as missing Spanish reach 99

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that four Spaniards have died in the two earthquakes that devastated Venezuela.

The number of missing Spanish citizens is now 99. The rescue teams have found four Spaniards alive, although they remain trapped under the rubble.

The government is preparing the repatriation of a group of Spanish tourists.

Information continues to trickle in due to the magnitude of the disaster, which has crippled communications and is keeping rescue teams working against the clock amid mountains of concrete.

The clock is ticking against the missing. Experts believe the most critical period for locating survivors under the collapsed buildings has passed, although the search efforts continue relentlessly.

Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said that the government maintains constant contact with Venezuelan authorities.

The ministry's priority is to provide care and information to the Spanish community in the country. The minister asked that all Spaniards in Venezuela who have not yet contacted the Embassy or Consulate do so as soon as possible through the consular emergency phone lines.

Around 200,000 Spanish citizens reside in Venezuela, one of the largest Spanish communities abroad.

The minister also said that the building housing the Spanish Consulate in Caracas suffered considerable damage, while the Embassy sustained minor damage, although both locations remain operational to assist those affected.

Albares also expressed his condolences for the death of a Venezuelan driver employed by the Spanish Embassy in Caracas, who died along with his wife and two daughters.

Among the four Spanish victims was Alazne Solabarrieta Lezea, a 65-year-old woman from Biscay, born in Caracas. She died when the building where she lived in the San Bernardino district collapsed.

Her husband, Koldo Olalde, a former member of the Basque terrorist organisation ETA, survived and remains hospitalised after being rescued from the rubble. The identities of the other two Spanish victims have not yet been released.

Uncertainty remains at its peak for dozens of Spanish families. Among the 99 missing are Jon Sustacha, a 69-year-old engineer from Bilbao, who was about to retire and planned to return home this year after a lifetime working in Venezuela, and María del Coro Barriola from Gipuzkoa.

Both disappeared after the collapse of their buildings in La Guaira. Sustacha's family also fear for his health, as he suffers from hypertension and may require urgent medication.

Added to these cases is the disappearance of the Canary Islands regional government delegate in Venezuela. The building where she lived is still being cleared of debris. "We cannot confirm her death, but the news we are receiving is not positive," the Canary Islands regional government said. They still have hope of finding her alive.

The latest official data the Venezuelan authorities have provided raises the death toll to 235, with more than 4,300 injured, 157 missing, some 200 people trapped, nearly 3,000 families affected, 250 buildings damaged and eight hospitals impacted, several of which have been evacuated.

While rescue efforts continue slowly, dozens of Spanish families await a call confirming the whereabouts of their loved ones.