Caracas, Venezuela – A week after twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the country is only beginning to process the tragedy.
As of Friday, 2,645 people have been confirmed dead after two consecutive earthquakes struck less than a minute apart on June 24, reaching magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively.
Roadways cracked. Buildings toppled. And thousands of lives were changed forever.
With as many as 38,500 people missing, the death toll is expected to rise further. The Venezuelan government has reportedly ordered 10,000 bags to store corpses, according to the United Nations.
But the search is not over, with international rescue teams fighting their way through mountains of rubble, spurred by the enduring hope of finding survivors.
Those rescuers have been joined by local volunteers, armed with hammers, pickaxes and shovels. Many work late into the night.
In the coastal city of La Guaira, one of the worst-hit areas, dozens of high-rise apartment blocks lie in ruins. The Caribbean breeze wafts the acrid smell of decomposing corpses through the city, as vultures circle overhead.
Residents line the streets, anxiously watching search efforts unfold. Some pray for a miracle. Others hope, at very least, for the opportunity to bury their loved ones.
With thousands unable to return to their homes, parks and public squares have become makeshift tent villages.
Among the displaced, grief has turned to anger, as some residents accuse the government of constructing shoddy public housing and failing to implement safety standards.
They also accuse the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which has governed the country for more than a quarter century, of building a corrupt system that has failed to provide the basic public services needed to deal with a crisis of this scale.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has defended the government’s response, denying that it could have acted faster.
Survivors spoke with Al Jazeera about their experiences during the tragedy, how they feel about the government’s response and how they have coped in the days since.
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