‘Each person saved is a miracle’: Desperate Venezuelans search for survivors as toll climbs

La Guaira: Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands on Friday in the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes, citing the scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of the disaster climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 3300 hurt. Citizens digging through the rubble of their homes said they have seen few state rescue teams in the areas hit hardest by the devastating 7.2 and 7.

5 magnitude quakes that struck late on Wednesday, despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response. The lack of help compounded families’ desperation as the pressure to find buried survivors increased with each passing hour. The South American nation on Friday marked nearly two days since the disaster.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that period increases if they have access to food and water. Meanwhile, a broad international aid effort accelerated, with more than two dozen rescue teams from around the globe arriving in Venezuela or due to arrive there soon. “Each person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the country’s National Assembly.

“We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.” Desperate families across northern Venezuela searched in the ruins of buildings for family members and whatever remained of their lives. Nazareth Jimenez sobbed into the shoulder of a loved one as she watched neighbours try to cut through slabs of concrete with hammers and power tools in a building reduced to a mountain of debris.

“My god, how are we going to get them out of there?” she murmured. She was in the northern state of La Guaira, just north of the capital of Caracas, where some of the worst destruction unfolded.

Jimenez was wracked with anxiety as she waited to see if her siblings, nephews, nieces and friends would emerge from the debris alive. “We’re making a call for help to governments of countries across the world,” she said, pleading for machines that would be capable of moving collapsed structures. “There are still people alive in there.”

Government forces distributed food and water to survivors in La Guaira as acting President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities were mounting a full response. She welcomed the arrival of rescuers and humanitarian aid from all over the world. Rodríguez said La Guaira had been militarised, and that more help was on the way, even as residents said it was just a fraction of the aid they needed.

The disaster poses a huge challenge for Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the capture and removal of then-President Nicolás Maduro by the US. Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodríguez represents. The number of dead was expected to climb, with thousands of people reported missing.

Venezuelan authorities said on Friday afternoon that they had rescued 243 people. The International Organisation for Migration said that up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the quakes, some 2 million of them in Caracas alone.

Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross’ regional director for the Americas, said “people are still terrified to re-enter what were their homes.” Buildings across northern Venezuela were reduced to skeletons, with furniture hanging out of windows and helicopters circling overhead. Desperation started to sink on Friday as many families still had not found their missing loved ones, had minimal equipment for rescue efforts and continued to sleep on the street.

In Catia La Mar, a community adjacent to the country’s main airport, people swarmed a civilian pickup truck that was giving out loaves of bread and water. A soldier intervened to allow the vehicle to leave. People turned the parking lot of a pharmacy into makeshift shelter by setting up tarps, hammocks and tents.

Omar Reyes walked through the remains of what was once his home, calling out the names of wife and children. He received no response. Around 20 family members have died.

Two of his four children are buried in the debris. “I’ve been left alone in this life,” he said quietly. Venezuela authorities said on Friday that 861 international volunteers from Mexico, the US, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and beyond were working in Venezuela.

Many more from other countries were expected in the coming hours and days. The UN said 1000 emergency responders in 25 search-and-rescue teams from across the globe were on their way. On the country’s main highway, caravans of state forces, emergency personnel, dump trucks and heavy machinery moved in the direction of the tragedy.

A civilian pickup truck carrying thin mattresses had its windows marked with “Help from Trujillo.” Venezuela’s government said it had diverted emergency services to La Guaira state. Firefighters from the state of Tachira, which borders Colombia, were amon