Rescuers in northern Venezuela are still pulling earthquake survivors from the rubble as aftershocks and gridlocked roads slow the search. But more than 72 hours has passed since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck on Wednesday—beyond the point when survival chances sharply drop, disaster experts say. The official death toll climbed Sunday to 1,450, with more than 3,100 people injured and over 12,700 displaced, according to Jorge Rodríguez, head of the National Assembly. "We are in critical hours, crucial hours," he said, per the New York Times.
More than 2,200 rescue workers from around the world had arrived by Saturday, the UN said, and more were on their way, the AP reports. "It's been incredibly hard work, but we're going strong," said Jason Mercano, a civilian who was able to communicate with family buried under the rubble via social media. "We've never given up hope." Crowds gathered to watch as rescue crews from the US and France pulled a man and his son from the ruins Sunday morning and carried them carefully on a black tarp into an ambulance.
The UN migration agency said as many as 6.8 million people may be affected by the earthquakes. The International Organization for Migration said it was working with the Venezuelan government, the UN, and humanitarian groups on a coordinated response. "It is already clear that displacement will increase, as people seek safety," said Amy Pope, director general. A researcher for the Bogotá-based Venezuelan Observatory at the University of Rosario is pessimistic about the recovery effort. "There is political interference by the United States, the operational incompetence of a government that has driven the country into a complex humanitarian crisis and, all of the sudden, an earthquake in a place that lacks human capital and short-term resources to address the situation," Ronal Rodríguez said.
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