Distressed families come out to identify victims of Venezuela earthquake in makeshift morgue

More than 1,000 body images flash across the screens in a seemingly endless sequence. Many have swollen, darkened skin or bear signs of injury, making identification difficult.

Families are looking for any trace that can help identify their loved one – a tattoo, a bracelet, a piece of clothing or an item from their home.

Sometimes there is a pause, a moment of hope. The two workers scroll through photos on an iPad and zoom in on teeth, tattoos or scars.

In front of one screen, a woman in a dust-covered blanket bursts into tears as she recognizes her son. Another woman, a stranger, hugs her.

He broke the silence with a phone call.

A young man whispers into the phone, trying to identify his mother. But he said his physical condition is making it difficult.

“It’s like a horror movie,” said Liliana Gonzalez, 60, of Catia La Mar, as she stepped outside.

She came looking for her aunt, but eventually identified her 37-year-old nephew with a tattoo.

“It wasn’t on the list,” she says. “I had to see the pictures.”

“I saw my mother die, but this… this is not the same.”