A series of powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela has left at least 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing, effectively shutting down morgue operations in the capital of Caracas. Motorcycles, cars and pickup trucks carrying bodies continue to arrive without end, while bereaved families crowd outside the morgues to see their loved ones' faces one last time.
According to The Guardian and other foreign media on Monday, morgues in the hardest-hit areas have reached capacity since the powerful quake that struck last Thursday, prompting residents to transport victims' bodies themselves by vehicle to the Bello Monte morgue in Caracas.
Camila Rodriguez, a psychology student helping provide psychological counseling for bereaved families at the morgue, described the harrowing scene. "Yesterday the entire street was filled with people who had brought their dead family members," she said.
Marhori Sedeño, who lost both her parents and her brother in the earthquake, said, "It's truly horrific inside the morgue," adding that it was "an unimaginable tragedy that should never befall anyone."
She said she had only identified her brother through photographs shown to her by forensic police, while her parents, who were in their 70s, remained beneath the rubble of the collapsed building.
"When the earthquake began, my brother had just been entering the building," Sedeño recalled. "I think he instinctively rushed in to save our parents, who were still inside."
Belkis Sedeño, another bereaved family member, claimed that the chaos following the rescue worsened the loss of life. Her sister-in-law had been rescued alive at dawn from the rubble of a collapsed 10-story building, but as a false tsunami warning spread through social media threw the scene into chaos, she failed to receive proper treatment. By the time she reached the hospital, she had already died.
Edgar Hernandez, former president of the National Funeral Association, said funeral companies across the country were providing more than 200 coffins and body bags for recovering remains. He explained that as morgues in La Guaira state, where damage was concentrated, were overwhelmed by an unmanageable influx of bodies, transfers were continuing to the relatively more accessible Caracas morgues.
Despite a shortage of equipment and amid the chaos, rescue teams are continuing their search for survivors as they comb through the rubble of collapsed buildings. At some sites, there have been dramatic rescues of survivors.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez thanked foreign rescue workers in a live television broadcast on Sunday, saying, "We rescued 33 survivors today." She then shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing an 11-year-old boy being rescued from the rubble in Caraballeda, declaring that "every life is a source of hope for Venezuela."
But criticism is growing on the ground that the government's disaster response has been slow. When Interim President Rodriguez visited the affected areas, residents fiercely protested, saying, "The government does nothing for the people."
Outside the morgues, meanwhile, volunteers are helping bereaved families by distributing water and coffee and providing psychological counseling. Tents, mattresses and food are also being supplied to residents who are spending nights in the streets out of fear of aftershocks.
Sedeño, who is awaiting word on whether her parents are alive or dead, said, "There may be no government response, but there really are many good people helping," adding, "I am grateful for the warm hearts of the Venezuelan people."
