LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Rescue crews from Venezuela and abroad worked urgently Sunday to find survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, four days after two powerful earthquakes struck the northern state of La Guaira.
By Sunday afternoon, the government said the death toll had risen to 1,450. The announcement came as officials faced mounting anger from Venezuelans who said the response had fallen short and that much of the lifesaving work had been driven by civilians searching through the wreckage.
Thousands of people were still listed as missing, according to several databases being used by families desperate for information about loved ones.
Although the chances of finding survivors declined with every hour, rescue teams continued to pull people alive from the debris, giving anxious relatives brief but powerful moments of hope. Experts say the first 48 to 72 hours after a natural disaster are typically the most critical for survival, though people can endure longer if they have access to water and food.
The government said more than 2,600 rescue workers from around the world had reached the disaster zone by Sunday, with nearly 140 specially trained dogs assisting search teams in the rubble.
“It’s been incredibly hard work, but we’re going strong,” said Jason Mercano, a civilian who managed to stay in contact through social media with relatives trapped beneath the ruins.
“We’ve never given up hope,” he said.
On Sunday morning, crowds gathered as rescue teams from the United States and France freed a man and his son from the rubble, then gently carried them on a black tarp to a waiting ambulance.
More than 770 buildings partially or totally collapsed
Still, many Venezuelans are struggling to hold onto hope in an increasingly desperate situation. The one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that hit last Wednesday have left a trail of devastation.
A layer of dust coated coastal communities, and as the stench of decomposing bodies spread, more people began to wear masks.
Authorities said Sunday that more than 770 buildings had totally or partially collapsed from the earthquakes, twice as many as were reported destroyed or damaged on Friday. The risk of further damage remains as aftershocks continued to shake Venezuela; quakes measuring 4.2 and 4.5 hit Sunday morning.
Many living in disaster zones said they had seen little sign of their government since the quakes. But rescue efforts in La Guaira – the hardest-hit area – appeared significantly more organized on Sunday as international rescue missions arrived en masse. In previous days, residents there had expressed frustration and anger about the level of response.
The government reported on state television that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are now patrolling La Guaira state, where access is blocked and special permits are required to enter.
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Because of the chaos and shoddy cellphone service since the earthquakes, many Venezuelans have turned to non-governmental digital databases to report their loved ones as missing. More than 50,000 people were reported missing on one such database, though it is unclear how many have been found.
A man’s family anxiously watches rescue effort
In the seaside city of Catia La Mar, Venezuelan rescue teams called down to survivors after discovering signs of life. They shouted instructions to a man whose family watched anxiously as crews discussed how to bring him to safety.
Despite the overwhelming demand for medical services and the shortage of supplies in Venezuela’s public health system, Domingo Luciani Hospital in the capital of Caracas coped with an influx of patients thanks to a flood of donations.
“We have tons of patients, but thank god, people have responded by bringing us a great deal of supplies,” said Leomery Pérez, an anesthesiologist at the hospital.
Authorities said they had treated more than 3,100 wounded people, including many with crush injuries.
A big challenge for Venezuela’s acting president
The disaster poses a significant challenge for acting President Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the U.S. capture and removal of then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Since then, the U.S. government has played in increasingly powerful role in dictating the future of the South American nation. Venezuela has faced economic disarray for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodríguez represents.
The country now faces an even more difficult circumstances, said Ronal Rodríguez, researcher for the Bogotá-based Venezuelan Observatory at the University of Rosario.
“There is political interference by the United States, the operational incompetence of a government that has driven the country into a complex humanitarian crisis and, all of the sudden, an earthquake in a place that lacks human capital and short-term resources to address the situation,” he said.
The U.N. migration agency said up to 6.8 million people may be affected by the earthquakes. The International Organization for Migration said it was working with the Venezuelan government, the United Nations and humanitarian groups on a coordinated response.
“It is already clear that displacement will increase, as people seek safety,” said Amy Pope, director general.
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Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press journalists Andry Rincón, Fernando Vergara and Matías Delacroix in La Guaira, Venezuela; Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Clara Preve in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Elliot Spagat in San Diego, contributed to this report.
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