Venezuela Earthquakes | Up to 50,000 may be missing

Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes have claimed nearly 3,000 lives, according to updated official figures released on Saturday. Meanwhile, international rescue teams have begun to scale back searches for survivors in the rubble of the disaster.

The death toll has risen by more than 300 to 2,954 since Friday after the June 24 disaster, which left thousands homeless. Many now spend their days on the streets and in shelters.

Tens of thousands of people are still reported missing. The government has not yet released any estimates, but the United Nations estimates that as many as 50,000 people may still be missing after the 7.2 and 7.5 quakes.

One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit the coastal area of ​​La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, the hardest. Many blocks of flats were flattened there.

Ten days after the twin shocks, which occurred just 38 seconds apart, rescue teams are beginning to wrap up their search for survivors, while families are still trying to pull the bodies of their loved ones from the rubble.

The critical period for rescue efforts after disasters such as earthquakes usually ends after 72 hours, although some people were still found alive this week.

In an apparent sign that rescue operations are coming to an end, the interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, held a ceremony in which medals were presented to international teams, including their rescue dogs.

Venezuela is experiencing “deep sorrow that grips our people, where families still hope to find loved ones alive, and people have lost everything,” Rodriguez said.

International disaster management teams, including some American teams and teams from South America, said on Saturday they were beginning to wrap up their rescue operations.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s rescue team is ending its operations after the latest search yielded no signs of life. Crews from Florida and Virginia were also preparing to leave this weekend, they said.

Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the government’s slow response to the disaster. According to them, families had to dig out loved ones themselves in the first hours before international teams arrived.

Rodriguez defended her government’s response, saying thousands of soldiers and officials had been deployed.

In La Guaira, workers with heavy machinery began dismantling collapsed structures on Saturday. At other buildings, families were still trying to extricate the bodies of loved ones so that funerals could be arranged.

“We are still working, we are still looking for bodies. We are continuing. It has not been easy,” said Francisco Sasquia, a Venezuelan volunteer helping to excavate a collapsed home.

“We found two bodies that have already been handed over to their families.”

Economic consequences

The United Nations estimates that the twin earthquakes caused $6.7 billion in physical damage, equivalent to 6% of oil-exporting Venezuela’s gross domestic product.

Even before last week’s disaster, Venezuela was already struggling with decades of economic crisis and political turmoil that undermined its infrastructure and health services.

The Maiquetia International Airport in La Guaira, which serves Caracas, was also damaged in the earthquakes. It has partially reopened to allow humanitarian flights to land, but commercial flights are still suspended.

“We are in contact with some international partners, countries that will help with the restoration of the Maiquetia airport,” Rodriguez said on another occasion. “A plan will be ready next week.”

For Víctor Colivert, the most important thing now is to stay with the body of his nephew. The body was pulled from the rubble of a building and now lies in a black body bag.

He fears that the body may be lost in the chaos. His family stopped forensic workers from taking the body away.

“Even if I have to go to China, or wherever, I won’t leave him alone,” he said. “I’m going with him.”