Crews searched Thursday for more than 200 people thought to still be trapped in debris after Venezuela's earthquakes—and where residents thought the rescue efforts inadequate, they dug into the rubble themselves to look for family members. Officials said the death toll was at least 188, the New York Times reports, and warned that it will climb much higher. The area hit hardest, La Guaira state near Caracas, "has become a disaster zone," acting President Delcy Rodríguez said, per Reuters. Heavy machinery to help in the search was lacking, and she said her government was working with businesses to correct that. There was little electricity in the state. In the streets, per the AP, some people sobbed as bodies were found, some screamed the names of missing loved ones, and some stood silently in shock.
In videos, La Guaira residents described a patchy emergency response and said they had begun digging on their own. Outside one ruined building, people estimated hundreds could be buried; Yorliana Colmenares said she heard faint tapping from beneath the rubble. "They've pulled out a lot of dead people," she said, "injured people, children, animals." She said she thought her boyfriend was in the building. A couple searched for their 8-year-old son, last seen playing basketball when the shaking started. Jonathan García dug for hours in the rubble of the apartment building where he lived with his family. He made it through a small opening and shouted for his wife and two daughters. His daughters called back that they could barely breathe. There was no answer from his wife.
"Earthquakes do not kill people, collapsing infrastructure does," said an expert who stressed the need for building safety standards. Damage had forced the nation's largest airport to close, complicating relief efforts. Jankiel Rosenwald, an adviser for World Vision, said Venezuela's health care system and electricity grid were already in bad shape. "This will put everything over the edge," he said.
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