Venezuela earthquake: father and son found alive in rubble after four days as death toll nears 1,500 | Venezuela

A man and his teenage son were found alive under rubble in Venezuela on Sunday, as the death toll from last week’s twin earthquakes surpassed 1,450 in a town about 40 km north of the capital Caracas, AFP journalists reported.

The discovery of survivors in Caraballeda was made by French and American rescue teams about four days after back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes completely destroyed nearly 200 buildings in the area.

Interim president Delcy Rodríguez praised rescuers on Sunday for rescuing those still alive from the ruins. “We rescued people who are still alive today and therefore these efforts will not be suspended,” he said. “We always maintain hope”

The rescue operation offered a glimmer of hope in the ongoing tragedy rocking a country already mired in economic crisis, but tens of thousands of people are still reported missing and the critical 72-hour window to rescue trapped victims following a natural disaster has now passed.

Millions more people are reportedly left without sanitation and other basic needs following one of Latin America’s most devastating earthquake disasters.

Rescuers from the United States, Mexico and elsewhere scrambled to save people as they dug by hand for relatives of helpless residents trapped among collapsed layers and rubble of collapsed apartment buildings.

Some 774 buildings were severely damaged in the twin earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening, National Assembly speaker Jorge Rodríguez said Sunday. Rodriguez reported that 1,450 people died and 3,150 were injured on Sunday.

Even as rescue efforts continued apace, there were outbreaks of looting in La Guaira, a port city near the country’s main international airport. Following Wednesday’s disaster, a large part of the city was left under rubble. Residents of the area said that pharmacies, supermarkets and other businesses were searched, and some complained that the help from the authorities after the earthquake was slow and insufficient.

U.S. Southern Command said Sunday that U.S. helicopters were moving in to help and 230 more U.S. military personnel arrived to help expand airport capacity and reopen a key port to boost relief efforts.

The USA, which captured Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro with a military raid on Caracas in January, had already sent a disaster response team of 250 people.

But the chances of more survivors being rescued have diminished.

A Salvadoran rescue worker who declined to give his name said: “At this point it’s probably bodies. Thank God, maybe we can find people who are still alive.”

In some areas, residents claimed authorities did not do enough to save earthquake victims, fueling anger. “The country needs you. Drop your weapons,” one man shouted to soldiers in the Tanaguarena district of hard-hit La Guaira province, urging them to pick up pickaxes and shovels instead.

Faced with public outrage over the response of local officials, President Rodriguez thanked other countries for their assistance.

Twenty-four countries sent 521 tonnes of supplies, 86 units equipped with dogs trained to find people trapped under rubble, and more than 2,700 search-and-rescue personnel, he said.

The UN Migration Agency said as many as 6.76 million people could be affected by disasters and may need shelter, water, sanitation, health services and basic relief supplies.

The worst earthquakes in Venezuela in more than a century come after the oil-rich country endured more than a decade of economic collapse. The crisis forced the evacuation of hospitals and public services and prompted millions of people to flee the country.

The UN put the bill for physical repairs at $6.7 billion; this amounts to 6% of Venezuela’s GDP.

On Sunday, exiled Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado announced that she would return to her homeland “very soon.”

“It’s time,” he told US broadcaster Fox News. “We need to be together, embrace each other, grieve together, mourn together, but also give each other strength in this difficult time.”