Venezuelans recover their own dead two weeks after twin earthquakes as rescue teams depart
Families in Venezuela are digging out their own dead two weeks after the twin earthquakes. The official toll stands at 3,535, nearly 18,000 people are homeless and as many as 38,500 are missing. The UN is buying 10,000 body bags, far above the confirmed count. Per Reuters and PBS
Two weeks after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela's capital and nearby coastal areas, families are recovering their own dead. International rescue teams, quietly acknowledging that no more survivors are likely to be found after 12 days under the rubble, are preparing to depart, according to PBS News and Reuters witnesses on the ground. The official death toll has risen to 3,535, authorities say, while nearly 18,000 people remain homeless and as many as 38,500 people are still missing. In La Guaira, Reuters witnesses saw trucks and forensic workers transporting coffins while machinery dug trenches in an open area marked by white crosses, where authorities were burying bodies. The United Nations is buying 10,000 body bags, according to the organization's representative in Venezuela, a figure far above the confirmed count. The gap between those numbers is the story of this disaster's second phase. Many residents say that just as they were left without government help to rescue survivors in the immediate aftermath, they are now under-equipped to unearth their dead. With tens of thousands unaccounted for and the recovery falling to families themselves, the confirmed toll remains a floor, not a final figure. Sources: PBS News, CBC, Reuters