Venezuelans take the search for missing persons into their own hands as the earthquake death toll rises

LAGUERA, Venezuela — Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands Friday in the wake of back-to-back earthquakes, citing a dearth of government rescuers, as the death toll in the disaster rose to at least 920 dead and more than 3,300 injured.

Citizens digging through the rubble of their homes said they saw few government rescue teams in areas hardest hit by the devastating 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes that struck late Wednesday, although authorities expected a picture of a strong government response.

The lack of assistance has exacerbated the desperation of families, with the pressure to find buried survivors growing with every passing hour. The South American country on Friday marked almost two days since the disaster. Relief agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a critical time frame for people to recover, although this period increases if they have access to food and water.

Meanwhile, large-scale international aid efforts have accelerated, with more than two dozen rescue teams from around the world arriving in Venezuela or scheduled to arrive there soon.

“Every person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodriguez, head of the country’s National Assembly. “We will hide absolutely nothing about the scale of this tragedy.”

Anxious families wait to find out if their relatives are alive

Desperate families in northern Venezuela searched through the rubble of buildings for their family members and what was left of their lives.

Nazareth Jimenez cried on a family member’s shoulder as she watched neighbors try to cut through concrete slabs with hammers and power tools in a building that was reduced to a mountain of debris. “Oh my God, how are we going to get them out of there?” I mumbled.

It was in the northern state of La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, where some of the worst destruction occurred. Jimenez felt anxious as she waited to see if her brothers, nephews, nieces and friends would emerge from the rubble alive.

She said: “We are sending an appeal to help the governments of countries around the world,” and appealed for the provision of machines capable of moving collapsed structures. “There are still people alive there.”

Members of a religious organization distribute food to those affected two days after the earthquake that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, on Friday. People are taking the tracing process into their own hands. (Photo: Ariana Kupios, The Associated Press)

Government forces distributed food and water to survivors in La Guaira, while acting President Delcy Rodriguez said her government was “working tirelessly” for a full response. She welcomed the arrival of rescuers and humanitarian aid from all over the world. She added that La Guaira has been militarized and more help is on the way, even as residents say it is just a small portion of the aid they need.

The disaster poses a major challenge for Rodriguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the arrest and ouster of then-President Nicolas Maduro by the United States. Venezuela has been facing economic chaos for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement that Rodriguez represents.

The death toll is expected to rise, with thousands of people still missing. Venezuelan authorities said on Friday afternoon that they had rescued 243 people.

Earthquakes leave millions of people reeling

The International Organization for Migration said that up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the earthquakes, about two million of them in Caracas alone. “People are still afraid to return to their homes,” said Louis Pace, the International Red Cross’s regional director for the Americas.

Buildings in northern Venezuela have turned into skeletons, with furniture hanging from windows and helicopters flying overhead.

Despair began to fade on Friday, as many families were unable to find their missing loved ones, had only minimal equipment for rescue efforts and continued to sleep on the streets.

In Catia La Mar, a community adjacent to the country’s main airport, people crowded into a civilian pickup truck that was distributing loaves of bread and water. A soldier intervened to allow the car to leave. People turned a pharmacy parking lot into a makeshift shelter by setting up tarps, hammocks and tents.

Omar Rayes walked through the remains of what was once his home, calling out the names of his wife and children. He received no response.

About 20 family members died. Two of his four sons were buried under the rubble.

“I am left alone in this life,” he said quietly.

International aid is on the way

Venezuelan authorities said Friday that 861 international volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and others are working in Venezuela. More from other countries are expected to arrive in the coming hours and days. The United Nations said 1,000 emergency responders in 25 search and rescue teams from around the world were on their way.

On the country’s main highway, convoys of state forces, emergency personnel, dump trucks and heavy machinery moved towards the tragedy. It was a civilian truck carrying thin mattresses with the words “Help from Trujillo” on the windows. The Venezuelan government said it had transferred emergency services to La Guaira state.

Firefighters from Tachira state, which borders Colombia, were among those deployed to La Guaira.

Residents search through rubble two days after an earthquake struck La Guaira, Venezuela, on Friday. International aid has begun arriving in the region and will continue through the weekend. (Photo: Ariana Kupios, The Associated Press)

Firefighting General Antonio Briceño said 45 firefighters and a trained dog, called a rescue dog, expected to arrive at the affected sites in the coming days.

“We bring shovels, shovels, hydraulic tools and drinking water that the site needs,” Briceño said.

On Thursday night, the Treasury Department moved to waive sanctions through Oct. 23 to allow transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited.

The government and rescuers face enormous challenges

Media reports shared notable moments of hope, including a young man who was brought in on a stretcher in the San Bernardino district of Caracas to applause from onlookers while his tearful mother said: “Leandro, I love you.”

Venezuelan television broadcast a video clip of a girl covered in dust and wrapped in a sweatshirt as she emerged from the rubble with the help of rescuers. She was found in a 10-storey building in La Guaira that collapsed and was flattened “like a pancake,” said Jose Luis Nunez, head of the Caracas city rescue team.

“We want to highlight this girl’s strength, determination and will to live,” Nunez said.

The US Geological Survey said both quakes were centered near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 105 miles west of Caracas. The double whammy of the quakes, combined with shallow seismic movements, exacerbated the devastation, said Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher with the Brazilian Geological Survey.

Contributing: Clara Brave, Julie Watson, Danica Coto, Geir Moulson, Susan Fraser, and Teresa Medrano.

The main points of this article were created with the help of extensive language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article itself is human written only.

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