“Hope”, the new cemetery for victims of the earthquakes in Venezuela

12 days have passed since the seismic doublet shook La Guaira and Caracas with an intensity of 7.2 and 7.5 degrees of magnitude, which had not been seen in 126 years, when in 1900 the largest earthquake in history was recorded in the country with an intensity of 7.7°.

One hour by car from Catia La Mar, in La Guaira, The Chavista regime had no choice but to build a cemetery on the slopes of Avilato be able to bury in 2,000 graves the numerous victims of the earthquake that completely collapsed more than 189 buildings, leaving some 850 residences standing but fractured and weakened in the affected areas.

Right there in Carayaca, in the aerial images taken by a drone, there are no mass graves but several terraces where rows of tombs have been lined up that have been removed from the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Until last night, the balance offered by the municipality of Caracas It was 3,535 dead, 16,740 injured and 17,854 affected after the double earthquake. At the end of the day the reported figures increase, so there is an ascending line in the balance.

In the last 27 years the Chavista regime has not built new prisons or cemeteries as if the indicator of violent deaths were not part of their history. With the earthquake of June 24, existing cemeteries such as the Cementero General del Sur and La Guairita have collapsed and have had no room for more requested coffins.

“My prince.” “My beloved.” “The love of my life”. They were some of the expressions inscribed by relatives of three deceased people, in a last gesture before closing a chapter marked by tragedy and uncertainty, in the South Cemetery.

The cemetery became the final destination for victims from the most affected areas, where burials have multiplied while the identification and care work for those affected continues.

Among those who arrived at the General del Sur Cemetery was José Rosal, father of former basketball player Eduardo Rosal, who recalled the 11 days of searching for his son in the rubble.

“We have fought very hard for 11 days to get my son back.”. With hands, with picks, with shovels. We rented a crane to help us lift the walls. Salvadoran, Mexican, and Czech rescuers passed by, but they said they couldn’t do anything,” he explained.

Rosal remembered her son as passionate about sports and music. Eduardo, who was over two meters tall, trained young sports talents and also worked as a salsa DJ in Caracas.

“He was an expert in hard, old-fashioned sauce. “I don’t know where he got it from.”said his father while the grave was being prepared.

The farewell messages were also captured in other niches. Her relatives wrote to Génesis Montes: “We love you always,” while for Jorge Montes they left the phrase: “You are mine”. In the case of Jesús Vásquez, his loved ones could not find words to accompany a farewell marked by pain, El Nacional published.

In the midst of grief, some families have had to face high expenses to transport their loved ones. A family from the state of Mérida recounted the difficulties of transporting three deceased people to El Vigía, a journey of about 700 kilometers, after the funeral service established a cost of 1,200 dollars for each transfer.

Finally, the solidarity of one of the drivers made it possible to complete the trip for $1,300, despite the financial limitations of the family members.