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Venezuela earthquakes: Families search for loved ones in rubble with bare hands
🇲🇽 Mexico /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuela earthquakes: Families search for loved ones in rubble with bare hands

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Families in Venezuela are desperately searching for loved ones in the rubble following recent earthquakes, often using their bare hands.
  • A magnitude 4.6 aftershock in La Guaira, the epicenter, caused renewed panic amid criticism of the government's slow response.
  • International aid is arriving, but concerns remain about the recovery process and the fate of thousands missing, including recently deported Venezuelans.

In La Guaira, Venezuela, the 72-hour window for finding earthquake survivors has passed, yet families continue their desperate search. Armed with little more than their hands, they sift through debris, call out the names of missing loved ones, and implore international rescuers for assistance. The devastation from the June 24 earthquakes, centered in La Guaira, was amplified by a magnitude 4.6 aftershock yesterday, triggering fresh scenes of panic.

Amid public accusations that authorities acted too slowly, the government has highlighted its recovery efforts. Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, announced that electricity has been restored to 90% of La Guaira state. He also updated the death toll to 1,719, with 5,340 injured and 15,866 displaced. The United Nations estimates 50,000 people are missing. Adding to the tragedy, over 100 Venezuelans recently deported from the United States are reported missing after the hotel they were staying in collapsed.

Although they are dead, we want to get them out

— Leonela DelgadoDescribing the efforts to recover loved ones from earthquake debris.

Leonela Delgado, searching for her stepson in Playa Grande, recounted how she and others initially tried to clear rubble with their bare hands. "Even if they are dead, we want to get them out," she told El Nacional, acknowledging the weight of time. Others, like journalist Fernán Hernández, who hopes to recover his brother's body, fear that heavy machinery will further damage the recovery process. Small miracles persist, however, with the rescue of 21-year-old Aarón Levi Cantillo Vargas reported in the early hours, involving teams from Mexico, Venezuela, and El Salvador.

International assistance is flowing in, with Brussels pledging 5 million euros and a humanitarian aid plane, the Netherlands sending an emergency ship, and China promising $14.7 million. The U.S. government has committed $300 million and repaired the La Guaira seaport to expedite aid delivery. Mexico's government will send food and power plants. Concerns linger, however, as some residents fear the eventual use of heavy machinery will hinder a proper recovery of victims.

Everyone knows that machinery will come later to remove [the rubble]. It will not be recovered as it should be

— Fernán HernándezExpressing concern about the recovery process and the potential use of heavy machinery.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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