Five days following the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, the death toll has reached 1,719, while approximately 50,000 individuals remain unaccounted for, as reported by United Nations sources.
The earthquakes generated an estimated 1.2 million tons of rubble in La Guaira, the state that suffered the most damage. Reports indicate that makeshift morgues have been established in storage areas at the city’s port, located about 40 kilometers from Caracas.
The U.S. military has mobilized 130 Marines to assist with recovery efforts and announced that the port in La Guaira is now operational, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.
A prominent symbol of this response, the USS Fort Lauderdale, an amphibious transport ship, is currently anchored in the waters off the coast where many vacation buildings collapsed like houses of cards.
Drone footage from AFPTV captures entire neighborhoods that have been completely flattened by the tremors.
Rescue teams are methodically working alongside the relatives of the missing, who anxiously gaze at the rubble in hopes of finding their loved ones alive. The provisional death toll has increased from 1,450 to 1,719, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, who also reported 5,034 injuries.
UN Expects Grim Toll
“I’ve been told that my sister and her children are trapped there, as well as my brother’s kids,” stated 25-year-old Wilker Molalla in front of one of the improvised morgues in La Guaira.
“We are waiting for trucks and other vehicles to arrive, so we can receive their bodies along with the autopsy reports and documents,” Molalla added, a survivor of the earthquakes.
The UN anticipates a dire situation and plans to provide 10,000 body bags based on an estimate of 2,500 affected buildings, most of which have collapsed entirely.
At the general cemetery in southern Caracas, cremations are taking place rapidly, with workers hastily clearing out the cremation chambers.
One employee reported working until midnight over the weekend. “And this is just the beginning,” said Freddy Rey, another cemetery worker, when speaking to AFP.
According to Gianluca Rampolla Del Tindaro, the UN coordinator in Venezuela, 27 countries have mobilized over 40 rescue teams, totaling more than 2,000 rescuers and others on the ground, along with over 160 dogs.
International Rescue Efforts from the U.S. and Other Nations
These international teams successfully rescued seven individuals alive from the debris on Sunday.
In Caracas and the La Guaira region, particularly at the Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia, U.S. forces are fully engaged in logistical support.
The goal is to provide essential and vital aid on the ground, emphasized the State Department, praising the “heroic work” of American rescuers alongside their local partners.
On Monday morning, the United States announced it would double the amount of aid to Venezuela, reaching a total of $300 million designated for NGOs and UN agencies.
Currently, several hundred American soldiers are deployed to assist in the efforts.
