Venezuela death toll rises to 1,430, at least 51,000 missing

Rescuers are racing against time three days after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. The death toll has risen to 1,430. Meanwhile, a 72-hour deadline to find survivors is running out. More than 51,000 people are still missing.
The twin earthquakes that struck last Wednesday (June 24) measured 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. The coastal region of La Guaira was hit hardest. With no government rescue teams, ordinary Venezuelans in the worst-hit areas are desperately searching for their loved ones, and aid agencies have warned that the crucial 72-hour deadline for rescue efforts is quickly running out.
While the government has portrayed a robust rescue operation, locals complain that few government rescue teams have been seen in the worst-hit areas. National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez said that every person rescued was a miracle. We will not hide the horror of this tragedy.
In La Guaira, government forces distributed food and water to survivors. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said that her government was doing everything possible to save lives in this critical moment. She welcomed international rescue teams and humanitarian aid.
‘People are still afraid to return to their homes’
The death toll is expected to rise. Thousands of people have provided information about their missing relatives in digital databases. However, this number may include many who cannot be contacted due to phone network outages, and some data may be counted twice.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that some 6.76 million people could be affected, including 2 million in Caracas alone. “It is clear that the number of displacements will increase as people move in search of safety. It is now imperative to deliver relief and stand by the Venezuelan people in this life-threatening emergency,” IOM Director-General Amy Pope said in a statement.
Luis Pace, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said people were “deeply afraid” to return to their homes. Venezuelan authorities said on Saturday that 1,600 foreign rescue workers had arrived to help with the rescue effort.
However, in an interview with Al Jazeera, Nicole Kast, the International Rescue Committee’s country director in Venezuela, said rescuers were now in the final stages of search and rescue operations. “We hope to find someone alive within 72 hours.”
Kast added that Venezuela was already in the midst of a humanitarian crisis and had limited resources for its civil protection services. Foreign rescue teams were already understaffed and many people could be trapped under the rubble.
The struggle to find loved ones
Al Jazeera’s Norris Soto reports from Chaco, one of the worst-hit areas of the Venezuelan capital Caracas, that hopes of finding survivors are fading. Soto says heavy machinery and drills are still being used to clear away the rubble. But rescuers say the chances of finding anyone alive are now almost zero.
He adds that the lack of mobile and internet connectivity, especially in the state of La Guaira, has made it difficult for many to find loved ones. He says the management has been so chaotic that ordinary people are complaining that they don’t know where their relatives are, or where the bodies that have been recovered are being taken.

Source: Al Jazeera