Victims of the Venezuelan earthquake sleep under the rubble of their homes a month later

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Nestled between the sea and the mountains, the Caribbean coastal city of La Guaira has been a busy magnet for tourists and trade.

But a month after the worst tremors to hit Venezuela in a century, parts of the city are now a shadow of what they once were after being hit by the deadliest double earthquake.

Satellite images show widespread destruction, with residential towers flattened and hotels destroyed.

Government officials reported that the death toll exceeded 5,300 and that the number of missing people still exceeded 50,000 people. More than 16,500 people were injured.

While the true cost of the devastation continues to emerge with each passing week, the World Bank estimated in a statement on Thursday that the disaster caused about $19.6 billion (£14.7 billion) in damage.

A member of the Civil Protection Service gestures while participating in the search for bodies amid the rubble of a collapsed building in Carrabaleda, Venezuela (AFP/Getty)

At least 47 percent of the damage affected residential buildings, while 27 percent affected infrastructure and 26 percent affected non-residential buildings.

“The recovery has been painfully slow and very heartbreaking,” Saddam Cedeño, 33, a cruise ship worker, told The Independent.

“Even though it has been a month since the tragedy, the scene in the worst affected areas remains devastating. Heavy machinery is constantly working. The recovery process has not even begun as the focus remains on clearing collapsed sites and holding on to hope for missing loved ones.”

As the rainy season approaches, the need for shelter and housing has become urgent.

“Thousands of us are living in makeshift camps, emergency shelters or improvised tents set up next to our homes, either because there is nowhere else to go or for fear of leaving behind the few possessions we have been able to salvage,” he says.

Volunteers and rescue teams are still searching for bodies amid the rubble of the collapsed building, nearly a month after the June 24 earthquake (AFP/Getty)

Cedeño explains that the search for clean drinking water remains a daily struggle and that relying on the support of others has become “exhausting” for many.

Living conditions are exacerbated by daily power outages and unstable phone services, making access to humanitarian aid patchy and communications more difficult.

“Small local businesses saw their livelihoods disappear overnight,” he says. “The daily battle now is securing food and supplies.”

Many victims are still searching for their loved ones.

Victor Calderon, a 49-year-old fisherman, told the BBC that he lost 26 members of his family. They include his sisters, their children, grandchildren, stepfather and nine cousins ​​- ranging in age from two years old to his late 70s.

“It’s terrible and terrible,” he said. “I haven’t cried for them yet, until I find the last of the missing people.”

The medical crisis is also severe, with hospitals and medical facilities subject to severe restrictions.

The sound of heavy machinery is a constant presence (AFP/Getty)

The International Medical Corps deployed an emergency field hospital on July 11, providing nearly 1,000 medical consultations to people affected by the disaster.

They provided wound care, treatment of acute and chronic diseases, maternal and child health services, drug replacement and other vital services.

She added that three mobile medical units in affected communities have provided nearly 2,000 additional consultations so far.

Another aspect is the mental health impact of the disaster, which has been severe for families still searching for their loved ones, living in temporary shelters, still searching for answers and stuck in a limbo between hope and grief.

Doctors Without Borders describes the horror and shock faced by those affected as amounting to a “psychological crisis.”

Saddam Cedeño (right) and Healing Venezuela volunteers (Saddam Cedeño)

It says it has provided 113 individual mental health cases, 323 group therapy sessions and 1,402 psycho-education sessions over the past four weeks.

A 29-year-old Venezuelan resident of La Guaira told The Independent that his apartment was destroyed in the quake and that most of his classmates at the university in La Guaira were killed.

“I spent many years working to save money to buy an apartment. Now it’s just a wreck,” he said. “There are a lot of problems. People are worried about losing their loved ones. They have no place to live. There are many destroyed buildings, and the buildings that did not fall are tilted.”

With local infrastructure severely compromised, relief teams are implementing water, sanitation and hygiene interventions, says MSF.

Cedeño, pictured working on a cruise ship before the quake, says the impact of the disaster has been “heartbreaking” (Saddam Cedeño)

The International Medical Corps says it has delivered more than 30,000 liters of safe water so far, reaching about 2,400 people. Other emergency medical teams in the country are assessing sanitation and hygiene.

“On the one hand, the period of solidarity was wonderful,” continues Cedeño. “Local volunteers coordinate while humanitarian groups provide basic psychological and medical support.” He cites the Heal Venezuela Foundation as a key organization helping people on the ground.

“On the other hand, there is uncertainty about the future and about rebuilding homes and infrastructure. We know that it will take a long time.

“Right now, we are taking it one day at a time, trying to stay strong for our families. We are grateful to the organizations and to God for the fact that we survived and got another chance to live this life.”

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