Caracas: Venezuela is grappling with one of the darkest moments in its modern history after devastating back-to-back earthquakes struck the country’s Caribbean coast, claiming at least 1,430 lives and leaving tens of thousands missing. The disaster has overwhelmed emergency services, hospitals and morgues, while families desperately search for missing relatives amid the rubble.
Outside the Bello Monte mortuary in Caracas, heartbreaking scenes have unfolded as grieving families arrive with the bodies of loved ones transported on motorcycles, in private cars and pickup trucks. Volunteers offering psychological counselling, food and water have become a lifeline for those struggling to cope with unimaginable loss.
Camila RodrÃguez, a psychology student assisting bereaved families, described the overwhelming situation.
“Yesterday, the entire street was packed with people arriving with deceased relatives,” she said, as the mortuary struggled to handle the influx of victims.
Among those waiting was Marjorie Cedeño, whose family suffered an unimaginable tragedy. She lost her mother, father and brother when their four-storey apartment building, Residencias Obelisco, collapsed in the upscale Los Palos Grandes neighbourhood.
Her 44-year-old brother, José Ruiz, is believed to have rushed into the building in an attempt to rescue their parents after returning from the beach. His body has been identified, but her parents—Zoila Cedeño, 72, and Jacinto Ruiz, 74—remain trapped beneath the debris.
“This is something you wouldn’t wish on anyone. It’s an unimaginable tragedy,” she said while waiting outside the crowded mortuary.
Another grieving relative, Belkis Cedeño, came searching for her sister-in-law, MarÃa Elena Moreno, who lived in the coastal region of La Guaira, one of the worst-hit areas.
Moreno was initially rescued alive after being trapped beneath the ruins of her collapsed apartment building. However, confusion caused by a false tsunami alert circulating on social media delayed her evacuation to hospital.
“When they finally transferred her to the hospital, she arrived dead,” Belkis said.
Funeral services across Venezuela have also been stretched to their limits. Edgar Hernández, former president of the National Funeral Homes Association, said funeral homes have donated hundreds of coffins, body bags and emergency supplies while assisting in transporting victims.
He noted that many families have chosen to bring bodies directly to Bello Monte because other mortuaries, particularly in La Guaira, have become overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster.
Despite the devastation, rescue operations continue around the clock. Acting leader Delcy RodrÃguez announced that rescue teams had saved 33 survivors on Saturday, including an 11-year-old boy pulled alive from the ruins in Caraballeda.
“Every life means hope for Venezuela,” RodrÃguez said while thanking international rescue workers participating in the operation.
The government has released footage showing emergency crews rescuing survivors from collapsed buildings, but growing public frustration has overshadowed those efforts.
Residents in several affected communities have criticised what they describe as a slow and inadequate official response. During a visit to one of the worst-hit areas, RodrÃguez faced angry residents shouting that authorities had abandoned the people during the critical hours after the earthquake.
Experts attribute the sluggish response to years of underinvestment in emergency infrastructure, compounded by the unprecedented scale of the catastrophe.
Across Caracas, thousands of residents continue sleeping in makeshift tents and temporary shelters, too frightened to return to damaged buildings. Volunteers and community organisations have stepped in to provide food, blankets and emotional support where official assistance has fallen short.
For many survivors, the generosity of ordinary Venezuelans has become the country’s greatest source of hope.
“There may be no government response,” Marjorie Cedeño said as she awaited news of her parents. “But there are so many good people helping.”
As rescue teams continue searching through the rubble, Venezuela faces not only the enormous task of recovering victims and rebuilding shattered communities, but also healing the emotional scars left by one of the deadliest natural disasters in the nation’s history.
