Venezuela earthquake horror: Citizens search for survivors with bare hands as outrage mounts over slow government response | Today’s news

Armed with little more than shovels, ropes and their bare hands, residents have led rescue efforts in earthquake-stricken Venezuela, trying to supplement what they describe as a slow and inadequate government response to the worst earthquakes in a century.

Volunteers say they have stepped in where official rescue operations have fallen short.

“You don’t see the state as such”

Among the volunteers is Alexander Delgado, a physical education teacher from the central Venezuelan state of Aragua, who traveled to the devastated coastal state of La Guaira a day after the two earthquakes, Reuters reported.

Although he has no formal rescue training, Delgado spent days coordinating a civilian rescue team searching the collapsed Hugo Chávez public housing complex.

“You see the firefighters, (Mexican rescue team) Los Topos, but you don’t see the state as such,” Delgado said.

His team reportedly spent days carefully removing debris and listening for signs of life beneath the rubble, supported by local residents providing water, masks, ice and information about the apartment complex.

On the sixth day after the disaster, Delgado said rescue crews still lacked basic heavy equipment despite the arrival of international rescue teams and local firefighters, according to a reporter.

Volunteers later found the woman’s body trapped under collapsed concrete and halted operations while they waited for court officials to retrieve her remains.

Volunteers say ‘enough is enough’

Many volunteers say they have grown accustomed to operating with limited government support.

Veterinarian Mijaed Diaz, who coordinated the rescue effort with university volunteers, reportedly said authorities should have played a much bigger role.

“I would like a greater presence of public entities that are really responsible for this. But at the end of the day, we’re used to making do with almost nothing,” Diaz said.

Limiting aid creates anger

Frustration grew after the government initially welcomed civilian volunteers but later restricted public access to La Guaira, angering people trying to help with rescue operations.

Some volunteers and witnesses also claimed that members of the military and police were blocking aid deliveries, confiscating donated supplies and looting valuables from damaged buildings.

One government employee stationed at the checkpoint told Reuters that police and soldiers allegedly seized aid from supply trucks and bragged about what they had “won”.

The government rejects the criticism

Senior Venezuelan officials have rejected allegations of a slow response and misbehavior, blaming the criticism on disinformation campaigns circulating on social media.

The Ministry of the Interior announced that four police officers from the scene of the crime had been detained and suspended for allegedly misappropriating valuables recovered from the disaster site.

The ministry said the police generally acted transparently in rescue operations.

NGOs are coming back despite the restrictions

The disaster also prompted the return of several Venezuelan civil society groups whose activities had previously been curtailed by the government.

Roberto Patiño, founder of the non-governmental organization Alimenta La Solidaridad, said the organization has resumed supplies of food, medicine, rescue equipment and Starlink Internet terminals to the affected communities.

“We are working and trying to show again that our work is about supporting communities and not something we should be persecuted for,” Patiño said.

Families are pleading for faster rescue efforts

For many families, the rescue effort has become deeply personal.

Volunteer Miguel Poleo joined Delgado’s rescue team as he searched for his stepdaughter, her husband and their son, who he believes remain trapped under the rubble.

He said residents have repeatedly informed authorities that survivors are still alive under the collapsed buildings.

“Two days ago we told them that they survived, that they were knocking and nothing,” said Poleo. “They’re not helping anyone.

Death toll from Venezuela earthquake nears 2,000

Venezuela entered a week of national mourning on Wednesday as the death toll from last week’s twin earthquakes climbed to nearly 2,000, with hopes of finding more survivors fading and humanitarian concerns shifting towards food shortages, disease outbreaks and prolonged displacement.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of national mourning as the country mourned the huge human toll of the disaster.

“The Venezuelan soul is torn apart by the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes,” Rodríguez wrote on Telegram.

Thousands are still missing

The United Nations estimates that around 50,000 people are still missing, while opposition figures put the number at more than 40,000.

The powerful 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck less than a minute apart on June 24 devastated large parts of the coastal state of La Guaira and damaged infrastructure across Venezuela.

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Hopes of finding survivors are fading

A week after the disaster, rescue teams acknowledged that the chances of finding survivors alive were getting slimmer.

Most of the collapsed buildings in La Guaira are now marked with the letter “D” for “deceased”, indicating that rescuers have found no signs of life.

There have been rare miracles, including the rescue of a three-year-old boy found alive six days after the earthquake.

But experts say surviving more than 72 hours under collapsed structures is unusual.

Families continue to search for loved ones and hope to at least recover the bodies for burial.

“We will continue the search because we would like to recover the bodies of our relatives and give them a dignified burial,” said Helen Guedez, whose family is still missing.

Food shortages are worsening

As rescue efforts gradually transition into rescue operations, many survivors struggle to obtain basic necessities.

Long queues have formed outside aid distribution centers while thousands remain homeless.

The World Food Program (WFP) has requested $50 million to provide food aid to approximately 500,000 people over the next three months.

International aid is expanding

International rescue teams from more than two dozen countries continue to search the collapsed buildings, even as hopes of finding survivors dwindle.

The United States has expanded its disaster response, deploying around 900 troops to assist in rescue operations, repair damaged airport infrastructure and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Washington has pledged $300 million in aid, although the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimates direct damage from the earthquake to exceed $6.7 billion.

A NASA satellite analysis suggests nearly 58,900 buildings were damaged or destroyed in one of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in a decade.

Authorities say displaced residents are currently housed in 69 temporary shelters across the affected regions while long-term recovery efforts continue.

(With Reuters, AFP inputs)

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