Calls to Families Trapped in Venezuela’s Earthquake Region ‘Each survivor is a miracle’

Traffic and congestion can sometimes hamper search operations. Soldiers and Mexican volunteers repeatedly called for silence, so they could listen for signs of life under the rubble.

People are helping as much as they can. People with drones are using them to search for survivors or the dead in hard-to-reach places.

Families flock around drone video feeds looking for clues. A piece of clothing, a hair, a possession. Anything that might bring news of a loved one.

As time goes on, the undisclosed death toll rises – and so does the outcome.

Glendis Delgado said: “There’s a smell… dead people are being heard. It makes us and the children sick.”

Two buildings were destroyed in Delgado’s neighborhood, but there was no official help, she said. “No one from the government came here, but I thank God that the people of Caracas came to help us with food.”

Dayer Gabriel, 27, said every area was affected, “Makuto, Karibe… Everything is bad. And we can all smell it.”

Officials reported on Friday that 861 volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and other countries are in Venezuela.

Interim President Rodriguez spoke with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and confirmed their commitment to sending rescue teams and relief supplies.