‘They were taking selfies, not helping’: Victims of Venezuela earthquake angry as death toll reaches 1,430

The death toll continues to rise and rescue efforts are underway

The death toll from two earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 1,430, with more than 3,200 injured and more than 50,000 missing as rescuers race against time to find survivors days after Saturday’s 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes.Experts say that the first 72 hours after a natural disaster is a critical window for finding survivors. This window is now closed. The search for survivors has turned into a search for bodies.In La Guaira, the hardest-hit coastal state north of Caracas, the smell of death hangs in the air. Ambulances and rescue vehicles raced down the streets, sirens blaring. The neighborhood was covered in a layer of dust. In response to the sweltering heat, more and more people are wearing masks as the stench of decay spreads.

survivor stories

A mother was forced to transport her daughter’s body to a morgue in Caracas. Her daughter and son-in-law were killed in the debris that collapsed on their home in La Guaira on Wednesday.“We rescued them ourselves. There was no help,” she told AFP. The couple will be cremated without anyone waking them due to the rapid decomposition of the bodies.There is growing frustration at what many see as an inadequate government response. Soldiers, firefighters, police and cadets seemed ill-prepared for the scale of the tragedy.

People look at missing poster on wall

“There was a pile of bodies there last night. Newborn babies,” said Miledi Romero, one of those searching in the seaside town of Cala Valleda. “At 8 o’clock in the evening, there are still people alive down there, but they are too lazy to save them. We have found several bodies, and they have not helped us salvage them. What are they waiting for?”People stopped an excavator from leaving and pulled the operator from the cabin at the site of a collapsed building, shortly after government workers took selfies in front of the collapsed building and left without offering help.“They came to eat tacos and take pictures to make it look like they were working,” said Yeison Marcano, who had been searching for three days. “They didn’t even get their uniforms dirty like we did.”

Photos show relief efforts in earthquake-hit Venezuela

The government restricts access to La Guaira and requires volunteers to obtain a safe entry pass. Anger ran high among people waiting in line outside a Caracas concert hall.“You need a license to save lives — imagine that,” complained Carlos Itriago, 27.Ezequiel Rivero, 53, said: “I’ve been queuing here since dawn to be able to rescue people. Look what time it is… How many lives have we lost so far?”In the Chacao neighborhood of Caracas, acting President Delcy Rodriguez made a tour but was angered by residents for trying to campaign amid a tragedy.Musician Zaira Castro put it more bluntly: “It’s actually us Venezuelans who are helping each other. We live in a society that helps each other. We are not dependent on government – government no longer exists for us. “Those who survived were forced to brave their way out, the buildings were no longer stable or safe and residents were unable to return.

wife’s vigil

Barbara Palacios heard her husband’s voice from beneath the rubble. “Jonathan!” she screamed, jumping for joy, looking up to the sky, and thanking God.That was Friday, and by Saturday, rescuers could no longer hear his voice. Palacios refused to believe he was dead.“Everything fell apart. He tried to escape but had no chance,” she told AFP.

Aftermath of the La Guaira Earthquake

“I’m not leaving until they get my husband out,” she said.Despite great efforts, when they finally pulled Palacio’s husband from the rubble, he was still not alive.

international aid arrives

Twenty-one countries are sending search and rescue teams. The United States has deployed more than 250 personnel, including three special search and rescue teams, whose search and rescue dogs are trained to find people trapped under rubble. The Simon Bolivar International Airport serving Caracas was severely damaged, but one runway remained operational.U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said more than 50,000 people were missing. The United Nations migration agency estimates that as many as 6.76 million people may be affected. The United Nations estimates material damage at $6.7 billion, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela’s GDP.There were moments of joy on Friday when locals rescued a baby alive from the rubble, about 32 hours after the earthquake. But for every such moment, there are countless others like Barbara Palacios, whose wife kept vigil for days before learning her husband was dead.