The U.S. continued its mobilization yesterday, Monday, sending mainly military personnel to provide Venezuela with «vital» international aid, five days after the devastating double earthquake that left at least 1,719 dead, according to the most recent official preliminary tally.
Hundreds of bodies are lying in makeshift morgues, warehouses, and the port of La Guaira (in the north), 40 kilometers from Caracas, in the area that was hit the hardest, an Agence France-Presse correspondent reported.
The U.S. military, which deployed 130 Marines to assist in the city’s recovery, confirmed yesterday that the city’s port is operational again, allowing humanitarian aid to arrive by sea.
The USS Lauderdale, an amphibious transport ship carrying troops and supplies, is anchored off the coast of the city, where many homes have collapsed like houses of cards.
In images taken by AFP using drones, one can see entire neighborhoods where literally not a single building has been left unscathed.
Search and rescue operations are carried out methodically, in full view of the relatives of those who are missing, staring intently at the wreckage, hoping to see their loved ones pulled out alive.
10,000 body bags
The still-preliminary death toll rose even further yesterday, increasing from 1,450 to 1,719, according to Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodríguez, who also reported 5,034 injured.
The United Nations estimates that there are about 50,000 people missing.
«They told me that my sister and her children are over here, as are my brother’s children,» said Wilker Molaya, 25, in front of one of the makeshift morgues in Waira.
«We’re waiting for vehicles to arrive (…) so we can retrieve their bodies» once the autopsies have been performed and their identities have been verified, the survivor explained.
The UN, which makes no secret of the fact that it expects the final death toll to be very high, has promised to deliver some 10,000 body bags to the authorities, based on the estimate that 2,500 properties were damaged, the «vast majority» of which «collapsed completely.».
At a cemetery in the southern part of Caracas, cremations are taking place one after another.
An employee said he had to keep working until midnight over the weekend. «And this is just the beginning,» predicted Freddy Ray, another employee at the cemetery.
According to the UN coordinator in Venezuela, Gianluca Rambola Del Tindaro, 27 countries have sent more than 40 rescue teams, in other words, «more than 2,000 rescuers and other personnel are on the ground, along with more than 160 dogs» trained to locate trapped victims.
International rescue teams managed to pull seven survivors alive from the rubble the day before yesterday, Sunday. Each team is posting harrowing videos online showing their members rescuing injured earthquake victims, some of whom are unable to hold back their tears.
In Caracas and the La Guaira area—particularly at Simón Bolívar Airport in Maquetía—the U.S. military has set up supply facilities.
«The goal is to deliver »essential and life-saving aid on the ground,«» the State Department said, praising the «courageous work» of American rescue workers operating alongside their “partners” on the ground.
Earlier, the Donald Trump administration announced that it was doubling the amount of aid it would provide to Venezuela to a total of $300 million, through NGOs and UN agencies.
In addition, hundreds of American soldiers are stationed in the country.
Washington and Caracas have restored relations following the bloody U.S. military operation in January that led to the capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration supports interim President Delcy Rodríguez as she takes control of the raw materials, minerals, and hydrocarbons in the country with the largest proven oil reserves on the planet.
More than 609 aftershocks
Yesterday, another earthquake, measuring 4.6, shook Caracas and Guaira.
«We all understood him. Panic broke out,» said Fernand Hernández, 57, in front of the property where his brother, José René Hernández, was buried in Guaira.
«We have not received any reports of further damage from any part of the country,» reassured Parliament Speaker Rodríguez, who mentioned «609 aftershocks» following the tragedy of June 24.
Although it is generally believed that survivors of major natural disasters are difficult to locate after 72 hours have passed, Venezuela seems to be caught between the desire to save more lives and despair over the authorities, which are described as either inadequate or, in the case of the military, excessively passive.
«Everyone says there’s no one left (alive), but we’re still here, waiting. To see if we can get anyone out,» explained Eduardo Cardoso, a farmworker who is helping rescuers in Turacas, another earthquake-stricken coastal community.
«We have found people alive (…). We still have hope,» said acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Sunday, who is facing criticism from all sides.
During the nightmarish hours before the arrival of foreign rescue workers, many civilians were forced to search through the rubble on their own, with their bare hands, due to a lack of construction and lifting equipment.
The situation was made worse by the authorities' ban on volunteers traveling to Guaira without written permission.
The damage is estimated to reach seven billion dollars, or, in other words, 6% of GDP, according to the UN.
The tragedy has hit the country hard, as it has been experiencing a deep economic crisis and intense, repeated political conflicts for years.
