APTOPIX Venezuela Earthquake

Coffins are stacked at the seaport where forensic workers sort the bodies of earthquake victims in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday, July 4, 2026.

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As quake rescue effort winds down, Venezuelans are left alone to recover their dead

As quake rescue effort winds down, Venezuelans are left alone to recover their dead

Venezuelans are digging through earthquake rubble with their bare hands to recover loved ones as international rescue teams depart and anger rises over the government’s response. On Monday, nearly two weeks after the twin earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela, families in the hardest-hit state of La Guaira said they remained without heavy machinery or official assistance to search for their relatives' remains, while authorities shifted their focus toward reconstruction and sheltering the displaced. The death toll has risen to 3,342. Thousands more bodies may still be buried in Venezuela's ruins.