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Hundreds of unidentified earthquake victims buried in Venezuela's La Guaira
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Hundreds of unidentified earthquake victims buried in Venezuela's La Guaira

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Hundreds of unidentified victims from the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela are being buried in mass graves in La Guaira state.
  • Witnesses report seeing trucks carrying dozens of bodies daily to the La Esperanza cemetery, with an estimated 800 people buried so far.
  • The official death toll from the earthquakes has reached 3,535, with hundreds of families still searching for loved ones among the rubble.

In La Guaira, Venezuela, hundreds of unidentified victims of the June 24 earthquakes are being interred in mass graves at a municipal cemetery. Witnesses have observed multiple trucks delivering bodies to the La Esperanza cemetery, with one worker estimating that around 800 people have been buried there since Saturday, June 27.

we have seen trucks passing towards the cemetery and a worker from the cemetery known as La Esperanza, who asked for anonymity, pointed out that three vehicles arrived this Monday with about 30 deceased.

— witnessesWitnesses describe the ongoing burial process at the La Esperanza cemetery.

The deceased arrive without identification but are placed in coffins marked with white crosses. The cemetery has opened a large section on a hillside, with dozens of trenches dug to accommodate the coffins placed side-by-side. A tent shelters additional crosses as workers cover the placed urns with earth.

Access for the press to the La Esperanza cemetery, located about 25 kilometers from Catia la Mar, was restricted on Monday, July 6. Police officials stated that a permit from the armed forces was required.

the bodies arrive without having been identified, but they are being buried in coffins with a white cross.

— cemetery workerA cemetery worker details the condition of the unidentified bodies being interred.

The latest official toll from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes on June 24 stands at 3,535 deaths and 16,740 injured, according to Parliament President Jorge Rodríguez. Hundreds of families continue to wait near collapsed buildings, hoping for the recovery of their loved ones from the debris, as authorities report finding between 200 and 300 more bodies daily.

between Saturday, June 27 and Wednesday, June 1, about 10 trucks arrived with bodies, so I estimate that at least 800 people may have been buried in the place.

— cemetery workerA cemetery worker estimates the number of unidentified victims buried at the site.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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