Venezuela twin earthquakes: survivor recounts high-rise collapse and failed rescue

Noel Márquez returned to a burning rubble field after Venezuela’s June 24 twin earthquakes. Noel Márquez had lived there with family. Noel Márquez called out for relatives trapped inside. Only Noel Márquez’s 17-year-old brother responded. International rescue teams were preparing to leave. Local authorities were shifting towards housing needs. Families were still trying to recover the dead.

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Authorities said the death toll rose on Sunday to 3,342. Authorities also reported 16,740 people injured. Many victims were still unaccounted for. No official estimate existed for those trapped. The Venezuelan opposition website received over 30,000 missing-person reports. Recovery work became harder as days passed. Many families said they lacked tools and support.

Venezuela earthquake recovery effort and missing people

Noel Márquez said a crane was needed to lift columns trapping Leonel. Noel Márquez and Noel Márquez’s father spoke through concrete layers. Leonel shouted for help and breathed smoke for hours. No heavy machinery arrived. Leonel’s cries later stopped, Noel Márquez said. Noel Márquez then tried to recover bodies using a saw and bare hands.

"Its unfair. Its inhumane, everything that is happening,\" 26-year-old Márquez said from the overflowing makeshift morgue at La Guaira port. \"We couldnt get my brother out because we didnt get a response from the state... and after 11 days, we are still requesting a crane.\"

Norely Rodríguez searched in La Guaira for her 5-year-old daughter. Norely Rodríguez said part of the child was visible. The rest remained crushed under debris. Norely Rodríguez wanted to remove the body whole. Families said the search often fell to relatives. Over the weekend, few official crews were visible in La Guaira. Civilians worked with hands, pickaxes, and shovels.

Venezuela earthquake recovery effort and decomposing bodies

Firefighter William Gomez said delays worsened conditions at recovery sites. William Gomez said bodies were already badly decomposed. William Gomez said remains sometimes came apart during removal. The situation added to distress for families. Some people searched for days and found nothing. Others found bodies in conditions that made identification difficult. The pressure to recover the dead kept rising.

\"I found her hand, but her torso is crushed,\" said Norely Rodríguez, trying to get her 5-year-old daughter out of the ruins in the hardest-hit state of La Guaira. \"I want to see if I can get her out whole.\"

Yeikhary Urbina said volunteers were among the few helpers on site. Yeikhary Urbina said families depended on each other to dig. Yeikhary Urbina found the bodies of Yeikhary Urbina’s mother and brother on Saturday. The bodies were suspended under concrete slabs. Yeikhary Urbina described them as locked in an embrace. Mexican rescuers and some firefighters were occasionally present.

\"We are the ones helping ourselves: our family. Nobody else helps us except for a few volunteers,\" said Yeikhary Urbina, who found the bodies of her mother and brother on Saturday suspended under piles of concrete, seemingly locked in an embrace.

Venezuela earthquake recovery effort and government response

Search teams from Italy, Argentina, Spain and other countries had already gone home. The Venezuelan government had not called off the survivor search. Officials also began discussing reconstruction plans. The programme was called Venezuela Reborn. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez spoke on state TV on Saturday. Delcy Rodríguez described a shift towards rebuilding infrastructure and housing.

\"Venezuela is entering a process of infrastructure recovery, of housing recovery,\" acting President Delcy Rodríguez told state TV on Saturday.

Geraldine Perdomo said Geraldine Perdomo’s sister kept digging at ruined home debris. Geraldine Perdomo said the search was for proof about two missing daughters. Geraldine Perdomo described the sister’s anguish during the search. Some families faced another blow at the La Guaira port morgue. Bodies arrived constantly at a space beneath grain silos. Confusion sometimes followed deliveries.

\"She kept asking, Why did God play this trick on me?\" Geraldine Perdomo said of her sister, who was feverishly clawing at the ruins of her home for anything that would confirm the death of her two daughters.

Noel Márquez said authorities later claimed to have located Noel Márquez’s mother and grandfather. Noel Márquez said Leonel remained missing. Noel Márquez blamed negligence at the morgue site. Residents of public housing blocks raised wider complaints. The towers were built under former socialist leader Hugo Chávez. After buildings collapsed, residents again questioned construction quality. The disaster renewed concerns about oversight.

Alexander, a 42-year-old police officer, said the state ignored earlier warnings. Alexander lived in one of the collapsed towers. Alexander said rescue teams did not arrive in time. Alexander also said heavy machinery was not provided for recovery. Alexander asked to be identified only by the first name. Alexander said the reason was fear of retaliation as a government employee.

\"Not a single person from the government was here,\" he said, requesting to be identified only by his first name because, as a government employee, he feared retaliation for criticizing authorities.

After 11 days, Alexander said Alexander reached the last missing relative. The person was Alexander’s 12-year-old daughter. Alexander said the corpse was decomposed but intact. Alexander held a black plastic body bag while speaking. The recovery marked an end to Alexander’s search, but not the wider crisis. Many families still waited for equipment, identification, and burial.

\"She was waiting for me to pull her out,\" he said, cradling the black plastic body bag in his arms.

With inputs from PTI