Venezuela quake death toll rises to nearly 3,000; foreign rescue teams begin winding down operations

Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes killed nearly 3,000, updated official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations for survivors in the rubble of the disaster.

Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the June 24 disaster that has left thousands homeless in the streets and sheltering in camps.

Tens of thousands more are still reported missing. The government has not given any estimates, but the United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude shocks.

One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital, Caracas, where scores of residential complexes were flattened.

Ten days after the double shocks, which came just 38 seconds apart, rescue teams are starting to wrap up searches for survivors while families still try to recover bodies of loved ones from the wreckage.

The critical window for rescues in disasters like earthquakes usually ends after 72 hours, though a few people have been found alive this week.

In an apparent sign that rescue missions were closing up, interim President Delcy Rodriquez held a ceremony to hand out medals to international teams, including their rescue dogs.

Venezuela is experiencing “a profound grief gripping our people, where families still hold out hope of finding loved ones alive, people who have lost everything”, Rodriquez said.

International disaster teams, including some US squads and some South American teams, were starting to finish up rescue operations, their members said on Saturday.

The Los Angeles County fire department rescue team is ending operations after its latest searches showed no signs of life, and teams from Florida and Virginia were packing up to leave this weekend, they said.

Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as their government’s slow response to the disaster, saying families spent the initial hours digging out loved ones themselves before international teams arrived.

Rodriguez has defended her government’s response, saying thousands of troops and officials had been dispatched.

In La Guaira, workers with heavy machinery on Saturday were starting to knock down collapsed structures, while in others, families were still trying to remove bodies of loved ones for funerals.

“We’re still working, still searching for bodies. We’re still going. It hasn’t been easy,” said Venezuelan volunteer Francisco Sasquia, helping dig out a collapsed residence.

“We found two bodies that have already been released to their families.”

Economic fallout

The UN has estimated that the twin earthquakes caused $6.7 billion in physical damage, equivalent to six per cent of GDP for Venezuela, an oil-exporting country.

Even before last week’s disaster struck, Venezuela had struggled with decades of economic crisis and political upheaval that undermined its infrastructure and health services.

Maiquetia International Airport in La Guaira, which serves Caracas, was also damaged in the quakes. It has reopened partially to allow humanitarian flights to land, but commercial flights are still suspended.

“We are in touch with some international partners, countries that will help in restoring the Maiquetia International Airport,” Rodriguez said at another event. “A plan will be ready next week.”

For Victor Colivert, the most important thing now was staying by the side of his nephew’s body, recovered from a building’s wreckage and now in a black body bag.

He fears losing it in the chaos. His family prevented forensic workers from taking the body away.

“If I have to go to China, to wherever, but I’m not leaving him alone,” he said. “I’m going with him.”

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