DistantNews
Support us
‘They’ve abandoned us’: Anger as race to find survivors in Venezuela earthquake runs out
🇮🇪 Ireland /Disasters & Emergencies

‘They’ve abandoned us’: Anger as race to find survivors in Venezuela earthquake runs out

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Anger is growing in Venezuela as the race to find earthquake survivors nears its end, with many feeling abandoned by authorities.
  • Rescue efforts are punctuated by desperate calls for silence as volunteers listen for any signs of life beneath the rubble.
  • The scale of the disaster is immense, with thousands missing and infrastructure severely damaged, while aid organizations struggle to cope.

In the coastal town of Caraballeda, Venezuela, the search for survivors of the recent earthquake is yielding to despair for many. Relatives of the missing gather near the ruins of collapsed buildings, their hope dwindling with each passing hour. The atmosphere is heavy with a mix of desperate listening for any sound from beneath the debris and the grim task of identifying recovered personal effects.

Does anyone have a family member with colourful stars on their arm?

— VolunteerA call made during rescue efforts to identify potential survivors or victims.

Volunteers periodically relay fragmented updates, asking about distinctive tattoos or describing personal items found, such as a mobile phone belonging to a woman with straight black hair. While the official death toll has risen to 1,430, tens of thousands remain unaccounted for. Satellite imagery reveals vast areas of flattened buildings in the hardest-hit La Guaira state, and social media videos depict harrowing scenes of numerous bodies piled outside collapsed apartment complexes, overwhelming already strained health services.

This is the mobile phone of a woman with straight black hair. Does anyone know who she might be?

— VolunteerAn attempt to identify an individual through a recovered personal item.

Michelle Morgana, who miraculously escaped her sixth-floor apartment in the Ilona complex with minor injuries, described the terrifying experience. "It felt like we were being lifted into the air," she recounted. "The lower floors disappeared." She and her husband used tied bedsheets to descend, landing on mattresses below, calling it a "miracle" after having moved into the apartment just 10 days prior.

It felt like we were being lifted into the air. The lower floors disappeared.

— Michelle MorganaMorgana describing the moment the earthquake struck her apartment building.

Despite the presence of military personnel and heavy machinery at some sites, many locations lack official support. Antony García, awaiting news of his brother, voiced the widespread sentiment: "They've abandoned us. There's no assistance and hardly any officials." This perceived lack of coordinated and timely official response fuels frustration among those desperately seeking information and aid.

It’s a miracle.

— Michelle MorganaMorgana's reaction to surviving the building collapse.
DistantNews Editorial

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

More Stories

From Our Blog