Angry Venezuelans accuse government of negligence and apathy

“Silencio” the rescuers scream turning towards the road with their fists up in the air, motioning to everyone to remain silent.

The vehicles on the road stop plying. People stop talking. The diggers fall silent.

A rescuer puts his ear to a hole they’ve just managed to drill through a concrete slab. Another one shines a torch into it.

They’re listening to see if they can hear any sounds of survivors calling from under the rubble of a 12-storey building that stood by the side of a busy road in the coastal town of La Guaira.

It’s one of the areas worst hit by the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday last week and killed at least 1,700 people.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has called the earthquakes the “most brutal natural catastrophe” in Venezuela’s history.

Standing by the side of the collapsed structure, Miguel Oscar Nunez holds his breath, huddled together with other families who had loved ones in the building. Miguel’s only child – 34-year-old son Angel – lived in the building.

Moments of anticipation pass by, but the rescuers hear nothing. The silence ends and work resumes.

“My son, like hundreds of others is trapped under the rubble. But we need more support from authorities urgently to dig them out. It’s possible that the earthquake has not killed him, but can you imagine if he is killed because of the negligence of the authorities,” Miguel Oscar says, anger showing on his face.

Kevin Montilla’s home was also in the building. He was away at work, but his wife Luzmary and 16-year-old daughter Jhoerliyzmar were at home when the earthquake struck.

“The rescue operation started very late and it’s been slow. Initially it was only people who live in the community who came in to help. The police just came to check, but they didn’t help. The government’s response has been frustrating and impotent,” the 34-year-old says.

When we visited the site, rescue teams from Venezuela and Colombia were conducting operations. Two diggers, as well as a crane that was lifting up concrete slabs was also there.

But the families waiting by the roadside said precious days had been wasted before this effort started.

“I have not lost hope but I feel devastated. Nature’s law is that a father should die before his son. Imagine if your son dies suddenly,” says Miguel.

The building was one of several in a government owned complex. This factor, as well as the structure’s prominent location, is perhaps what has drawn the attention of the rescue teams to it.

Because there are parts of La Guaira state where search teams have so far not even reached.

We met Deilisbeth Herreira at a hospital in La Guaira town where she was going through the list of injured and dead. She’s looking for her daughters – Greydelys, 12 and Graybelys, 13.

A single parent, Deilisbeth was away at work when the earthquake struck.

She thinks it’s likely the girls would have been at home, but she’s also searching everywhere, just in case they were outdoors and have survived.

“I have help from no one. No machines or rescuers have been sent to dig through the rubble. It’s like you’ve been left on your own to find your loved ones,” she says, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“My daughters were quiet, studious girls. I just want them back at any cost,” she adds.

Everywhere we went, residents told us they felt let down by the state.

On a road that hugs the coastline, two high-rise apartment blocks – part of Bello Horizonte complex – have collapsed into a heap. We saw families and volunteers, wearing masks and rubber gloves, trying to dig through the rubble with spades and crowbars.

“The stench is horrible here. But I’m still trying because I’m looking for my uncle. We cannot just stand by idly when there’s the possibility that there might be people alive under the rubble,” says William Rodrigues. “Help arrived very late in most places, and in some, it has still not arrived.”

While the police were present near the complex, they were not engaging or helping in rescue efforts.

Sixty-year-old Juan Avendo – who lives across the road from Bello Horizonte – and whose home has also been destroyed says: “We could hear the screams and shouts of people trapped under the rubble. So we tried to help them ourselves, using our bare hands, clawing through the debris with our nails.”

He and his nephew Enyer Musics described how they managed to pull one woman out alive.

“We heard her screaming in the night. But it was dark and we couldn’t do anything. So the next morning we went and tried to find her. First we were able to pass her a bottle of water. And then we worked to pull her out,” he says.

The first official rescue team – Venezuelan firefighters – arrived on Friday, nearly two days after the earthquake struck. Teams from El Salvador and the US also helped out. A few more survivors were found, and then on Sunday the operation was called off.

Juan estimates that hundreds are likely lying dead under the debris.

It’s possible that their bodies might never be found, and that we might never know the true scale of this disaster.

Additional reporting by Aakriti Thapar, Maria Ines Calderon and Sanjay Ganguly.