APTOPIX Venezuela Earthquake

Venezuelan merchant Grian Serrano has twice survived major natural disasters in the same place. He lived through the deadly 1999 mudslides in La Guaira and two powerful earthquakes that hit the region. Serrano, his son and his mother were buried under rubble Wednesday when their apartment building collapsed during the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes. The government says the quakes have killed more than 1,700 people and injured more than 5,000, mainly in La Guaira. Serrano believes the area is cursed, but experts say the terrain is risky for construction. After losing everything, Serrano vows never to live in La Guaira again.

Aid groups are warning that Venezuela's healthcare system is at its breaking point nearly a week after two powerful earthquakes hit the South American country. Damaged hospitals are overwhelmed, and conditions in the disaster zone are worsening. The government death toll has surpassed 1,900. A humanitarian crisis is also unfolding, with thousands of displaced people living in unsanitary conditions. On Tuesday, the U.N. expressed concern about the spread of infectious diseases. The healthcare system has been strained by years of underinvestment. Many hospitals are damaged, and specialist doctors are missing, adding to the chaos.