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Five days after consecutive powerful earthquakes devastated entire neighbourhoods in the coastal state of La Guaira, recovery operations increasingly focused on retrieving bodies as the likelihood of finding more survivors continued to diminish.
At a temporary mortuary established inside a warehouse at the Port of La Guaira, hundreds of bodies lay in white and black body bags and coffins awaiting identification, AFP reported.
Outside the facility, anxious relatives gathered for updates as forensic teams in blue uniforms worked to identify the victims.
"There were 11 people in my household; only two of us survived because we were at work," Wilker Molalla told AFP.
"My family is there -- I'm told my sister and her children are there, as well as the children of my brother."
The US military said Marines had completed repairs to one of Venezuela's two principal ports, allowing humanitarian supplies and equipment to reach the disaster-hit region.
The port of La Guaira 'is now operational, and the USS Fort Lauderdale is using the port to deliver critically needed supplies and equipment', a US military statement said, referring to the US warship deployed to support relief efforts .
American airmen were also helping restore operations at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas, which sustained damage in one of Latin America's worst earthquake disasters.
The airport partially resumed cargo and humanitarian aid flights on Saturday.
Although the crucial 72-hour rescue window has passed, reducing the chances of locating survivors beneath metres of rubble, rescue teams on Monday pulled a 21-year-old identified as Aaron Levi from the debris in the nearby town of Tanaguarena. Video footage captured the complex operation.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez updated the official death toll on Monday to at least 1,719.
The United Nations also announced additional assistance, with UN country coordinator Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro saying the organisation would provide Venezuela with 10,000 body bags.
"It's very sad, and we truly hope that actually the number is going to be smaller than that," Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro told a virtual news conference.
Venezuelans are growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as the sluggish response of their US-backed government to the disaster.
Some 3,150 people were injured in Wednesday evening's 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes, which were also felt in neighboring Colombia. They were Venezuela's worst earthquakes in more than a century.
A strong aftershock Monday shortly after 7:00 am (1100 GMT) was measured by the US Geological Survey at magnitude 4.6, adding to fears for the safety of hundreds of buildings weakened by the tremors.
Twenty-seven countries have dispatched more than 40 search teams to Venezuela, Rampolla del Tindaro said Monday, adding that "at least 2500 structures were affected, most of which fully collapsed."
The United States, the main power broker in Venezuela since January when it overthrew longtime president Nicolas Maduro, on Monday doubled its previous aid pledge from $150 million to $300 million.
The few rescues have offered a glimmer of hope in a tragedy that has shaken a country mired in an economic crisis that has depleted its capacity to respond to disasters.
Luis Salas, 27, who joined the rescue efforts, told AFP that "the hardest part was when we felt hope in the tunnels we went into -- crawling, clearing debris, working with all our heart, with great faith -- and when we reached our targets, we found them lifeless."
Even as rescue efforts continued, public anger has mounted in some areas.
Eduardo Cardozo, a volunteer in Tucacas, said it was "frustrating" to know that some victims could have been saved "if they'd been searched for in time."
On Sunday, a group of residents ordered a group of soldiers to pick up picks and shovels and join in the rescue efforts.
"The country needs you. Put down your weapon," one man ordered them.
Outbreaks of looting have hit La Guaira city, much of which now lies in rubble.
Pharmacies, supermarkets and other businesses were ransacked, said residents, some of whom complained of the slow and meager post-quake aid coming from authorities.
The government has said temporary camps were being set up for people who lost their homes.
The UN migration agency said that based on population and damage data, up to 6.76 million people could be affected, and would require shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare and essential relief items.
(With agency inputs)
At a temporary mortuary established inside a warehouse at the Port of La Guaira, hundreds of bodies lay in white and black body bags and coffins awaiting identification, AFP reported.
Outside the facility, anxious relatives gathered for updates as forensic teams in blue uniforms worked to identify the victims.
"There were 11 people in my household; only two of us survived because we were at work," Wilker Molalla told AFP.
"My family is there -- I'm told my sister and her children are there, as well as the children of my brother."
US restores key transport links
The US military said Marines had completed repairs to one of Venezuela's two principal ports, allowing humanitarian supplies and equipment to reach the disaster-hit region.
The port of La Guaira 'is now operational, and the USS Fort Lauderdale is using the port to deliver critically needed supplies and equipment', a US military statement said, referring to the US warship deployed to support relief efforts .
American airmen were also helping restore operations at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas, which sustained damage in one of Latin America's worst earthquake disasters.
The airport partially resumed cargo and humanitarian aid flights on Saturday.
Survivor rescued after critical window
Although the crucial 72-hour rescue window has passed, reducing the chances of locating survivors beneath metres of rubble, rescue teams on Monday pulled a 21-year-old identified as Aaron Levi from the debris in the nearby town of Tanaguarena. Video footage captured the complex operation.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez updated the official death toll on Monday to at least 1,719.
The United Nations also announced additional assistance, with UN country coordinator Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro saying the organisation would provide Venezuela with 10,000 body bags.
"It's very sad, and we truly hope that actually the number is going to be smaller than that," Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro told a virtual news conference.
US doubles aid
Venezuelans are growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as the sluggish response of their US-backed government to the disaster.
Some 3,150 people were injured in Wednesday evening's 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes, which were also felt in neighboring Colombia. They were Venezuela's worst earthquakes in more than a century.
A strong aftershock Monday shortly after 7:00 am (1100 GMT) was measured by the US Geological Survey at magnitude 4.6, adding to fears for the safety of hundreds of buildings weakened by the tremors.
Twenty-seven countries have dispatched more than 40 search teams to Venezuela, Rampolla del Tindaro said Monday, adding that "at least 2500 structures were affected, most of which fully collapsed."
The United States, the main power broker in Venezuela since January when it overthrew longtime president Nicolas Maduro, on Monday doubled its previous aid pledge from $150 million to $300 million.
The few rescues have offered a glimmer of hope in a tragedy that has shaken a country mired in an economic crisis that has depleted its capacity to respond to disasters.
Luis Salas, 27, who joined the rescue efforts, told AFP that "the hardest part was when we felt hope in the tunnels we went into -- crawling, clearing debris, working with all our heart, with great faith -- and when we reached our targets, we found them lifeless."
Put down your weapon
Even as rescue efforts continued, public anger has mounted in some areas.
Eduardo Cardozo, a volunteer in Tucacas, said it was "frustrating" to know that some victims could have been saved "if they'd been searched for in time."
On Sunday, a group of residents ordered a group of soldiers to pick up picks and shovels and join in the rescue efforts.
"The country needs you. Put down your weapon," one man ordered them.
Outbreaks of looting have hit La Guaira city, much of which now lies in rubble.
Pharmacies, supermarkets and other businesses were ransacked, said residents, some of whom complained of the slow and meager post-quake aid coming from authorities.
The government has said temporary camps were being set up for people who lost their homes.
The UN migration agency said that based on population and damage data, up to 6.76 million people could be affected, and would require shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare and essential relief items.
(With agency inputs)
