Hopes of finding survivors after the Venezuelan earthquake gradually faded

Ecuadorian and American rescue teams early this morning suspended the search for survivors in the town of Macuto in La Guaira state, the area that suffered the most damage in the double earthquake in Venezuela. The operation ended after more than 40 hours of work, when they no longer detected any signal from the mother and her three children trapped under the rubble of the 9-story building.

“So much time has passed, what we can find now is probably just bodies. Unfortunately the situation is not moving in a positive direction,” said Major Jorge Montanero, head of Ecuador’s EQ11 rescue team.

Montanero said as he stood among concrete blocks and rocks, after rescuers cut through four concrete slabs to reach the location of the four trapped victims.

According to NASA estimates, about 59,000 structures were destroyed or damaged by the double earthquake with magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 respectively that occurred on June 24. The widespread devastation could be seen from space.

According to survivors and residents in many areas, professional rescue teams could not reach all collapsed buildings. Many relatives and neighbors dug and cleaned up the rubble to find survivors or remove bodies.

The Venezuelan government said at least 1,750 people were killed and thousands injured by the earthquake. About 16,000 people also lost their homes.

“Certainly we are facing a higher number of casualties than what has been announced. I can give an estimate. We have agreed with local authorities and are preparing about 10,000 body bags,” Mr. Gianluca Rampolla, resident coordinator of the United Nations in Venezuela, said on June 29.