Survivors criticise slow aid as Venezuela quake rescues enter critical stage

Frustration is mounting across Venezuela as rescue efforts enter a critical stage five days after twin earthquakes devastated parts of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and flattening hundreds of buildings.

The back-to-back 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck last Wednesday, with the coastal state of La Guaira emerging as the hardest-hit area. Round-the-clock search operations continued on Monday, though hopes of finding survivors were fading as aftershocks complicated rescue work.

Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly and brother of acting president Delcy Rodriguez, said the confirmed death toll had reached 1,719. Another 5,034 people were injured, while 15,866 had been left homeless.

The government said nearly 200 buildings had been completely flattened and several hundred more severely damaged. Experts said the scale of casualties was likely worsened by years of poor building-code enforcement, weak licensing practices and infrastructure neglect.

In El Junquito, a mountainous area about 33 kilometres west of Caracas, residents said they had received little help from officials. Farmers and local people have instead been providing basic supplies to affected communities.

Much of the area’s commercial centre was destroyed, and some residents whose homes and businesses are no longer safe have been forced to sleep in tents in open fields, despite the danger posed by unstable buildings nearby.

The disaster has also raised concern over people who may still be trapped or missing. While the authorities have not confirmed how many remain under rubble, online platforms used by citizens to register missing relatives show around 45,000 people unaccounted for.

Among the victims are believed to be as many as 140 people deported from the United States, including children, who had been staying at a hotel that collapsed during the quakes.

International assistance has begun arriving, with authorities saying Venezuela has received support from 30 countries. Aid includes 1,000 tonnes of supplies, more than 3,600 rescue and support personnel, and 118 search-and-rescue dogs.

There have still been moments of hope. In La Guaira, rescuers pulled 21-year-old Aaron Levi alive from a collapsed building after he had been trapped for 106 hours. The rescue operation reportedly lasted 43 hours.

The government said 15 shelters and 50 temporary camps had been set up in La Guaira to support displaced residents.

The disaster is also creating political tension. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who is in Panama, said the Venezuelan government had blocked her from returning, but vowed to find a way back to help victims.

Power outages have delayed the restart of a refinery, a petrochemical complex and other industrial plants in central Venezuela. However, sources said state oil company PDVSA did not expect domestic fuel shortages, with oil production and exports remaining normal.

US officials said three American citizens were known to have died and 12 were missing. A State Department task force has received more than 300 enquiries from Americans seeking assistance, while about 5,000 US citizens are estimated to be in Venezuela.

Source: Reuters