Eleven days after a powerful earthquake struck Venezuela, the focus of local response efforts is shifting from searching for survivors to clearing debris and recovering bodies.
According to foreign media reports, including AFP and Reuters, on July 5 (local time), Venezuelan authorities buried more than 150 unidentified victims in individual graves in La Guaira, the hardest-hit state near the capital, Caracas.
The Venezuelan government announced that the official death toll from the earthquake has risen to 3,342, with 16,470 people injured and 17,345 displaced.
However, the scale of the damage may continue to grow, as more than 31,000 people remain registered as missing on a citizen-run missing persons reporting website.
While international and local rescue teams continue their operations, the possibility of finding survivors is becoming increasingly slim as the disaster enters its 11th day.
Many international rescue teams have completed their missions and begun to withdraw; only 25 of the original 77 teams remain on the ground. The United Nations also handed over the lead of the rescue response to Venezuelan civil defense authorities on July 3.
Bereaved families remain near the buildings where their loved ones are believed to be buried, watching the recovery efforts.
Debris removal work is also gaining momentum.
As of July 1, the Venezuelan government estimated that approximately 1.25 million tons of debris had been generated in the Caraballeda area of La Guaira state alone.
According to official figures, 856 buildings have been damaged by the earthquake, 190 of which have collapsed.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated, "The scale of the destruction is immense, and we need to assess what can be done," adding, "How to manage the debris is also a major challenge, and we are supporting the assessment of this."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)