DistantNews
Support us
🇺🇸 United States /Disasters & Emergencies

Rescuers cling to hope for survivors 6 days after Venezuela earthquakes

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Rescuers continue searching for survivors six days after powerful twin earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, killing over 1,700 people.
  • An estimated 60,000 buildings may be damaged or destroyed, with international teams assisting in frantic efforts.
  • Families desperately search for loved ones, facing the grim reality that time is running out to find anyone alive.

Six days after powerful twin earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela, the race to find survivors continues amid increasingly frantic efforts. The confirmed death toll has risen to over 1,700, with thousands still missing, as rescuers grapple with the dwindling hope of finding anyone alive.

My daughter is there.

— Miguel CoelloA father's desperate plea to rescuers searching for his 22-year-old daughter trapped in a collapsed building.

A NASA assessment using satellite imagery suggests that approximately 60,000 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed by the 7.5 and 7.2 magnitude quakes that struck on June 24. International teams have joined local efforts, working tirelessly to sift through the rubble in the hope of locating survivors.

In the state of La Guaira, along Venezuela's northern Caribbean coastline, search operations have been ongoing. An American task force from Fairfax, Virginia, was among those working near the epicenter. Teams were heard shouting into collapsed structures, calling for any survivors to signal their presence, but often met with silence.

Fourteen people inside, maybe they are not alive, all of them. But at the end of the story, we need to recover our bodies, you know.

— Miguel CoelloA father expresses his anguish and the need to recover bodies of loved ones after the earthquake.

"My daughter is there," said Miguel Coello, desperately appealing to rescuers to find his 22-year-old daughter, who was reportedly with fourteen other people inside a collapsed building. "Fourteen people inside, maybe they are not alive, all of them. But at the end of the story, we need to recover our bodies, you know," he said, highlighting the agonizing wait for news.

it gets more difficult the farther it goes along.

— Josh MorrisonAn American rescuer describes the increasing challenges of finding survivors as time passes after the earthquakes.

Rescuers acknowledge the immense difficulty as time passes. Josh Morrison, an American rescuer, stated that while they treat each attempt as if it were the first, "it gets more difficult the farther it goes along." He added, "We'll continue to work until we get no more signs of life." Meanwhile, Rubmar Carolina Garcia was seen sifting through her son Adrian's belongings after losing him and her mother in the quakes. The grim reality of the situation weighs heavily, with rescuers noting that rescue efforts will eventually have to be called off, though that decision is beyond their immediate control.

and we'll continue to work until we get no more signs of life.

— Josh MorrisonA rescuer reaffirms the commitment to search for survivors until all hope is lost.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog