AS MANY as 10,000 people may have died in the twin earthquakes in Venezuela the United Nations has warned, as hopes of finding any further survivors began to fade. As late as Tuesday, six days after the devastating quakes, a toddler was pulled alive from the rubble of a building, but he was the only survivor found that day.
The official death toll had reached just under 2,000 on Tuesday, but the UN said that it was procuring 10,000 body bags, after discussions with the Venezuelan government. Tens of thousands of people are still listed as missing.
An estimated 590,000 buildings to have been destroyed, including vital infrastructure such as hospitals, satellite data suggests, and residents say that some of them have yet to be searched for survivors. Residents are attempting to shift the rubble themselves, with shovels and bare hands but aftershocks are hampering their efforts.
Among the dead are believed to be 100 migrants recently deported from the United States and being housed in a hotel. Churches are also destroyed and badly damaged, including Caracas Cathedral, which has been damaged many times in earthquakes since a building was first erected in the same location in the 17th century.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Caracas, the Most Revd Raúl Biord Castello, visited the church of San José de Ñarauli, which was badly damaged. Standing in the rubble inside, he posted a video on social media.
“Our hearts are with the deceased — we pray for their eternal rest — and with those injured who are being rescued, as well as all the people who have lost loved ones. [This earthquake] was a very powerful natural phenomenon,” he said.
“Amidst all of this — Christian and Catholic alike — we must all form a great network of solidarity to help those brothers and sisters who are suffering material losses. We are deeply pained by the damage to our artistic heritage, but that can be recovered over time. But human life is what is most important.”
Father Luis Antonio García Thomas, parish priest of the church told Vatican News the devastation caused by the quakes was “catastrophic”.
“Many people have been left with homes that are now unsafe, others have lost their lives, and we are facing a situation that no one could have anticipated.”
Alamy Seeking the missing: In Caracas, a rescue worker from Mexico’s Aztec Special Brigade who joined the search in the rubble for survivors after two earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday of last week
The Church congregation was responding in social assistance and gathering to pray and worship in the streets to encourage others.
A humanitarian crisis is now unfolding among those who have survived, with thousands sleeping in the open or in crowded shelters. Unicef said that 680,000 children were in need of humanitarian assistance.
The country was already in crisis following years of economic collapse and the capture by the US (News, 9 January), of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife , who have been charged with narco-terrorism and other offences. The Trump administration has held increasing sway over the acting President Delcy Rodríguez ever since.
A large majority of the population of Venezuela identifies as Christian, the vast majority of whom are Roman Catholic, numbering around 22 million. A minority, estimated between three and five million, are Protestant.
The Episcopal diocese of Venezuela opened its diocesan centre as a collection centre with supplies for rescue workers this week. Its churches have reported only minor damage.
The Pope sent an initial emergency donation of €100,000. “I wish to express my closeness to the Venezuelan sisters and brothers affected by the recent earthquakes that caused numerous victims and injuries,” he said in Spanish before the Angelus prayer in Rome, on Sunday.
“I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search-and-rescue efforts and providing assistance.”
The Pope spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru, and is a fluent Spanish speaker. He is planning a tour of southern Latin America in November that is expected to include Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “We pray for all those who are grieving, or waiting for news of loved ones. We pray for those who have been injured, and all those who are courageously and selflessly supporting the rescue and relief efforts. And we pray, too, for the churches and faith communities who are offering pastoral care and solace at this immensely painful time.”
She encouraged people to support the DEC Venezuela Earthquake Appeal. “At moments such as these, we are called not to turn away from suffering, but to respond with compassion and practical support for our neighbours in need,” she wrote on social media.
The charity World Vision is one of the aid agencies on the ground supporting survivors. Its staff in the country reported families walking miles to flee aftershocks.
“Women along the road are pleading with us to take them with us, asking us to ‘get them out of there,’ while people can be heard shouting, ‘Get out! The road is collapsing,’” a World Vision humanitarian worker reported.
A preliminary satellite assessment by the United Nations Development Programme has revealed the scale of the damage, and estimates that the earthquakes caused direct physical damage of about $6.7 billion — equivalent to about six per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.