An emergency field hospital run by the Christian aid organisation Samaritan’s Purse has treated more than 300 patients following devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.

Last month, back-to-back quakes struck the La Guaira region, leaving nearly 3,000 people dead and more than 16,000 injured.

Peter Holz, hospital director in La Guaira, told Premier Christian News that the situation remains chaotic, with widespread destruction and thousands of people displaced.

“There are a lot of collapsed buildings. We're very close to where the worst damage of this earthquake occurred. It's been a chaotic environment since we arrived here. A lot of people are sleeping on the streets; they're afraid to go back in their homes if they still have a home,” he said.

He added that the facility has been treating a steady stream of casualties since opening.

“So we're well over 300 patients that we've treated through our emergency field hospital, which we opened just a couple of days ago. So it's been very busy. We've performed well over 10 surgeries, and that number is growing.”

The field hospital, deployed by Samaritan’s Purse, includes operating theatres, intensive care beds, a pharmacy, and a laboratory to support overwhelmed local health services.

When asked how Christians worldwide can be praying for the situation as well as for the staff providing care, Holz said: “We pray that the people that don't know Christ are the ones that come to our field hospital, because we want to show them that we love in a different way.

“Pray for our staff, for their resilience, and I also pray that they have those opportunities and those moments where they can connect with the people here on just expressing their faith to them in Jesus. We see it in every response, but it is the biggest prayer we can always have.”

The organisation says more than 40 international staff are currently deployed, with further teams expected to arrive as the response continues.