Venezuela struggles to mourn after the earthquake

A week after a powerful double earthquake struck Venezuela, the nation grapples with immense loss and uncertainty. In La Guaira, Francisco Pérez, 28, has spent days by the rubble of a collapsed building, desperately searching for his former employer, Nancy Rojas, 67, whom he considered a mother. He believes she is trapped in her vehicle beneath the debris and claims to have heard signs of life, though rescue efforts are deemed impossible due to the building's unstable condition.

The government has declared a week of national mourning following the disaster. Official figures report 2,295 deaths and 11,267 injuries. However, Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, suggested the death toll could reach 10,000. Meanwhile, an opposition platform reports 40,668 people as "out of contact" with their families. The scale of destruction is immense, with 855 buildings affected, 189 of which have completely collapsed.

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It was the only way they would pay attention to me. People, seeing me say she was my mom and seeing me so desperate, came to help me… That's why the lie went so far.

Francisco's story is one of many echoing through the affected areas. He initially lied about Nancy being his mother to gain attention and help, a desperate measure in the face of official indifference. Now, his focus has shifted from rescue to recovering her body for a dignified burial. Across the city, a somber ritual unfolds daily: in the quiet of the early morning, rescuers and neighbors listen intently for any sounds from beneath the rubble. Makeshift camps have sprung up, with residents sleeping outdoors amidst the pervasive smell of decomposition, their wait a grim testament to the ongoing tragedy.

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The wait of the young man, 28, and his friend Scarly Rojas, Nancy's only daughter, has something of a ritual that is repeated building after building, day and night, in La Guaira.