Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 1,430 as frustration with government response grows

Tensions flared Saturday in Venezuela's La Guaira state as desperation mounted among rescuers and civilians searching for earthquake survivors, with the official death toll rising sharply to 1,430. Families reported at least 68,900 people missing three days after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes devastated the South American nation.

Venezuelans searching for loved ones used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands atop piles of collapsed concrete in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit states. They were joined by a growing number of international rescue teams who began to climb through the rubble, offering a glimmer of hope to anguished families.

Tensions peaked over what many viewed as an inadequate government response. Soldiers, firefighters, police and military cadets appeared underprepared for the scale of the tragedy. Frustration was amplified by efforts to project an image of a robust state response.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving people alive, though this can be extended if victims have access to food and water. Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying over 1,600 rescue team members had arrived by Saturday. But as 72 hours passed, many felt every minute ticking away.

“There's a pile of bodies over there from last night. Newborn babies,” said Mileidy Romero, searching in the coastal town of Caraballeda. “At 8 p.m. [yesterday] there were people alive down there, and they haven’t bothered to rescue them. We’ve located several bodies, and they haven’t helped us recover them either. What are they waiting for?”

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on state television that more than 14,000 military and police were patrolling the area, where access is now blocked and special permits are required. But many in disaster zones said they had seen little of their government. Some climbed remnants of buildings, calling out names, hoping for proof of life. Dust coated coastal communities. In punishing heat, more people wore masks as the stench of decomposition spread.

Elsewhere in La Guaira, teams loaded stacks of bodies onto white trucks from a dirt hospital parking lot for identification. Without hard hats or other gear, rescuers and civilians wore motorcycle helmets as they searched debris that once held people's belongings: Eddie Murphy and Nemo DVDs, a kitchen sink, mattresses and shoes.

Some, frustrated with the government, blocked an excavator from leaving a collapse site and pulled the operator from its cab shortly after state workers took selfies in front of flattened buildings and left without helping. Ruling party officials often take selfies to show participation in government events.

A few feet away, at least five bodies wrapped in blankets. Yeison Marcano said searchers had received some help from an investigations unit but neither police nor the National Guard assisted. “They came to eat arepas and take pictures to make it look like they were working,” Marcano said. “They didn’t even get their uniforms dirty like we have. We’ve been here for three days.”

A minute later, a man tried to grab a firefighter, shouting and cursing. “Silence! Silence!” rescuers shouted as they tried to confirm whether someone was trapped alive. Meanwhile, an older man was pulled from the rubble of a public housing building. Visibly disoriented, he begged a nurse for water and fought with personnel who put him into a pickup truck, screaming, “My family! My family!”

The International Organization for Migration said over 6 million people could be affected, some 2 million in the capital Caracas alone. Experts said the destruction was amplified by the quick succession of shallow quakes. For days, smaller aftershocks occasionally shook the capital and affected areas, including one measuring 4.8 on Saturday.

The disaster poses a huge challenge for Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the US capture and removal of then-President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela has faced economic turmoil for over a decade, and many reject the legitimacy of the political movement she represents.

Search teams and foreign aid continued to arrive from Mexico, the US, Brazil, El Salvador, France and others. On Saturday, Mexican rescue teams climbed over collapsed buildings and pushed their heads into holes searching for signs of life. “We're rescuers from the Mexican military. If there's anyone down there still alive, make noise or scream. Now!” one shouted.

For many, images of international aid teams arriving offered a glimmer of hope. Yonahí Regalado has been calling out the names of her sister and 1-year-old nephew and godson since 1 a.m. the day after the quakes until aid workers began to arrive. “It doesn’t matter who it is, whoever. If there is anyone alive, let’s get them out,” she said, as helicopters circled overhead.

Small moments of humanity mixed with grief: rescue teams carefully handed down an 18-day-old swaddled in pink blankets after 12 hours of searching for him and his mother, Telemundo reported. A 69-year-old woman saved by Salvadoran teams asked for a Coca-Cola upon being pulled out, Salvadoran authorities said. One video showed a Venezuelan rescuer comforting an elderly woman trapped beneath rubble, scared the structure would collapse. “The roof won’t cave in. If it falls, I’ll be here with you,” he said.

Simón Bolívar International Airport, serving Caracas, was badly damaged. One runway was operational as US teams worked to repair it. Jeremy Lewin, a senior State Department official, told reporters a US Navy transport ship was docked off the coast, ready to receive airlifted survivors needing medical attention. Lewin said it was a “race against the clock” to find those injured.