Venezuela Earthquakes Kill At Least 1,430, Overwhelm Bello Monte Mortuary In Caracas

Back-to-back earthquakes rattled Venezuela’s Caribbean coast last Wednesday, killing at least 1,430 people and leaving tens of thousands missing, with many of the dead ending up at Bello Monte mortuary in Caracas.

“Death is everywhere in Playa Grande, a beachfront neighbourhood in Catia la Mar, a city in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira which was devastated by Wednesday's back-to-back earthquakes, says Rober Javier, who has spent the past two days searching for survivors and bodies”

CBC

Camila Rodríguez, a psychology student offering emotional support at Bello Monte, said: "[Yesterday], the entire street was packed with people arriving with deceased relatives," as families waited to identify loved ones.

CBC

Marjorie Cedeño lost her mother, father and brother when their four-floor building, Residencias Obelisco, collapsed in Los Palos Grandes, at the foot of the El Ávila mountain, and by 9pm on Friday she had identified only her brother, José Ruiz, 44, through a photograph shown by forensic police.

The Guardian also reported that relatives gathered outside Bello Monte because it was less congested and easier to access than the mortuary in La Guaira, which it said had "completely collapsed under the pressure of the emergency."

As the death toll rose, Venezuela’s health care system in La Guaira and beyond was pushed past its limits, with authorities reporting nearly 3,240 injured people and a death toll approaching 1,430 nationwide by Saturday afternoon.

Huníades Urbina, a pediatric intensive care physician and member of Venezuela's National Academy of Medicine, said: "We already lacked the capacity to care for patients on an ordinary day. Imagine what happens when hundreds of people emerge from collapsed buildings needing emergency treatment."

Folha de S.Paulo

The Jefferson City News Tribune reported that physicians warned the crisis was entering a more dangerous phase as people trapped for days beneath rubble began arriving with kidney failure, crush syndrome and limbs that could no longer be saved.

It also said acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced in a 1 a.m. update on Saturday that authorities had restricted access to La Guaira to allow rescue operations to continue uninterrupted while reducing public health risks, including the management of victims' remains.

By day 4 of the search, NPR described rescue teams calling out through wreckage in Caracas, with one message delivered by rescuers: "We are the rescue team. If you are alive please make any noise."

“Earthquake victims are overwhelming health care centers in Venezuela's coastal state of La Guaira and beyond, pushing an already fragile health system past its limits”

Jefferson City News Tribune

NPR said the government reported the death toll had reached 1,430 with nearly 3,500 injured, and that thousands remained missing as the critical window to find survivors continued to narrow.

In Caracas hospitals, Folha de S.Paulo reported that Dr. Domingo Luciani Hospital in the El Llanito area was congested on Saturday (27) as hundreds arrived with water, food, non-perishable goods, damp towels, and items for wounded people.

Folha de S.Paulo added that Dr. Judith Veracierto, a trauma specialist, said that so far about 300 patients had received care in the emergency department, while Rubén Martínez said only this Saturday 170 blood donors were attended to and that total donations had surpassed 400.