More than 72 hours after a powerful twin earthquake rocked Venezuela, a few rescues were reported on Sunday, offering a glimmer of hope even as officials said the window for survival was closing.
A 60-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble of a building in the coastal area of Carabayida after being trapped for 86 hours. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said rescue teams from his country and Peru worked for 11 hours to free her. She was taken to a hospital in Caracas in critical condition.
A U.S. rescue team from Virginia extracted a man and his son from debris on Sunday morning. Earlier, U.S. officials reported an infant rescued from a collapsed building, while Colombia and Mexico said two 11-year-old boys were saved in separate operations.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, said at least 33 people had been rescued over the weekend. The United Nations reported that 2,200 foreign rescue workers were operating in the country. More than 14,000 troops and police are patrolling La Guaira state, where access is restricted and special permits are required.
But hope of finding more survivors is diminishing. No new casualty figures were released Sunday, after officials confirmed 1,430 dead and more than 50,000 missing.
Al Jazeera’s Noris Soto reported from the Los Palos Grandes neighborhood in Caracas that a Mexican rescue team still hoped to find survivors, as volunteers helped collect personal belongings. “Here, at least 20 people remain under the rubble,” she said, noting that international rescue teams and civilian volunteers are leading the response.
Criticism of the Venezuelan government’s response is mounting. In one incident, residents blocked an excavator from leaving the scene of a collapsed building and pulled the operator from his cab after state workers took selfies in front of the ruins and left without helping, the Associated Press reported.
In Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo said family members had marked many collapsed homes where they could not find the remains of loved ones. Aid, including water and food distribution, has only just begun reaching the hard-hit area, where many residents are still camping outside. She described the disaster as a “major challenge” for the government of Delcy Rodriguez, who took office after President Nicolas Maduro was abducted by the United States in January.
Washington has sent rescue teams and pledged $150 million in support for U.N. efforts. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had mobilized 5 million euros ($5.7 million) in emergency aid and deployed its Copernicus satellite system to map damage. Pope Leo also prayed for the victims and thanked rescuers.
