Nine days after twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 devastated Venezuela, search-and-rescue teams have begun winding down their operations.
With the likelihood of finding more survivors dwindling, heartbroken families are now pleading with local officials to focus on recovering the bodies of their loved ones trapped beneath the debris.
The disaster, which ranks among the deadliest earthquakes in Latin America’s recent history, has claimed at least 2,645 lives and left over 12,000 injured. The coastal town of La Guaira suffered the worst of the destruction, with entire apartment complexes reduced to rubble. While the government has not provided an official count of the missing, the United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people could still be unaccounted for, leaving thousands of displaced residents sleeping in parks, streets, and temporary shelters.
Despite the dimming prospects, a glint of hope emerged at the collapsed Tahiti residential building in La Guaira’s Caraballeda district, where a rescue worker reported hearing an adult voice crying out for assistance early Friday morning. Rumors also circulated about the successful rescue of a nine-year-old boy, though international emergency teams stated they could not verify any new survivors.
The agonizing wait has fueled intense friction at collapse sites. Distraught relatives desperate to retrieve remains are clashing with those demanding that heavy machinery be brought in for a final push to find living survivors.
Exhibiting the profound grief of the community, local resident Jose Francisco Liendo, who is searching for his father and sister, pleaded:
“Until I recover the bodies, I won’t be at peace. Don’t let the machines come and take them away like garbage.”