The desperate search for survivors of Venezuela’s dual earthquakes entered its third day on Saturday night, with the death toll climbing to at least 1,430 and more than 51,000 people still missing. Rescue teams – including nearly 2,000 international workers – are racing against time as the 72-hour window for finding survivors narrows.
In La Guaira, the hardest-hit coastal state, families clawed at mounds of concrete with their bare hands. “We are driven on, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, by the sound of the survivors underneath the rubble,” said Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian chief, who described the day as “crucial”. “The worst thing is when those voices go quiet.”
“Death toll rises to 1,430 with 51,000 missing after dual earthquakes, as families desperately search rubble.”
Natacha Diaz, a mother from La Guaira, told the BBC her two daughters, aged 22 and 23, were trapped under a collapsed shopping centre where they worked as manicurists. “I just want them to be found. I have faith and hope that they are there,” she said. “They are all I have, please.” In Catia La Mar, north of Caracas, Ezequiel Frontado peered at a dozen bodies lying on the street, covered with blankets recovered from nearby rubble. He was searching for his missing relatives.
The government’s response has drawn sharp criticism. In the Chacao district of Caracas, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez toured with the mayor and was met with fury. “You’re campaigning in the middle of a tragedy! The government isn’t doing anything for the people,” a resident yelled. Musician Zaira Castro told the BBC: “We’re all pretty frustrated because the government is not showing what it should – a serious display of help. It’s actually us, the Venezuelans, who are helping each other.” Former policeman Jan Carlos Roa Garcia, sleeping rough with his family after their building was left unsafe, said no authority had contacted them. “I don’t know where to begin,” he said, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Amid the devastation, small miracles have emerged. Footage showed a newborn baby rescued from the rubble on Friday; the mother was later pulled alive. Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, said: “Each person saved is a miracle. We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.” But with more than 50,000 still unaccounted for and 214 aftershocks since the initial quakes – a 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude tremor seconds apart on Wednesday – the window for hope is closing. In La Guaira, where more than 100 buildings have been flattened, resident Eileen Lada pleaded: “There are still people in there, we need machinery. Help us, please.”