Venezuela marks one week since twin earthquakes devastated parts of the country, with hopes of finding additional survivors fading and many affected residents facing acute shortages of food. Multiple outlets report that the quakes have killed nearly 2,300 people, while tens of thousands are still unaccounted for. In the hardest-hit area, La Guaira north of Caracas, authorities tag many damaged buildings with the letter “D” to indicate that searches have found no signs of life. While rescue teams continue efforts, experts and rescuers note that survival odds for people trapped under rubble decline significantly as days pass.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez declares seven days of mourning, reflecting the scale of the human losses. Reports also mention the growing strain on survivors who are relying on limited supplies after their communities were damaged or destroyed. Despite the overall outlook, there have been some later finds, including a three-year-old boy recovered alive Tuesday, six days after the more powerful quake, illustrating that rescues still occasionally succeed.
