“Vultures are already circling the sky”: shocking report by Tânia Laranjo in Venezuela

Almost 2000 confirmed deaths. Journalists describe how “the vultures arrived before the rescue teams”. And a government under Trump’s authority is blamed, which is repressing protests instead of helping with rescues. Now, it is the rain that brings hope from the heavens.

The double earthquake that hit Venezuela last Wednesday has officially caused 1,943 deaths and 10,571 injuries, according to the latest official balance released this Tuesday by the Venezuelan authorities.

Official data also indicates over 15 thousand homeless people, informed the president of parliament, Jorge Rodríguez. According to authorities, 6,461 people have been rescued since the start of relief operations.

The number of Portuguese and Portuguese descendants killed rose to 71, and there are still 71 missing, according to the most recent report released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE).

Tens of thousands remain missing among the rubble in areas that appear to have been affected by years of war. The reports coming from the affected areas, especially La Guaira, are increasingly shocking. This Wednesday, he writes that, in some rescue situations, “the vultures arrived before the rescue teams”.

“In the crucial first 24 hours after the earthquakes, the government’s response was virtually non-existent. In an upscale neighborhood of Caracas, poorly equipped police officers illuminated the rubble with cellphone flashlights, and volunteers used their bare hands to remove the debris… An unusual number of vultures have been seen flying over what remains of La Guaira in recent days. The birds appear to have arrived in some affected areas before rescue teams,” wrote Gisela Salim-Peyer, at the scene, who accuses the government. “under the authoritarian management of the Trump administration” of having worsened the already disastrous situation.

“The lack of preparation is unforgivable. Worse still, the regime led by Delcy Rodríguez — under the authoritarian management of the Trump administration — took active steps to make matters worse. The government deployed the Armed Forces to the affected areas not to help, but to suppress any manifestation of public discontent. ‘There are more rifles here than shovels,’ a volunteer reportedly shouted in despair. Civil society groups implored the government to unblock access to social media and media outlets. communication.

Correio da Manhã journalist Tânia Laranjo, also at the scene, described this Wednesday an absolutely shocking scenario faced in a “devastated” Venezuela.

“I could talk about the smell that sticks to the skin and invades the lungs. About the vultures that are already circling in the sky, impatient, as if death is in a hurry. I could talk about the silence, the one that arrives after the screams. About the men and women who enter houses that could collapse at any second to rescue a photo, a shirt, a last piece of life”, the reporter began writing in .

“Next to me, in this devastated Venezuela, is Inês Trovisco. I look at her and see the almost impossible effort to contain the tears. There are pains that not even journalists can narrate without their eyes shaking”, confessed Tânia Laranjo.

Rain brings hope

The UN expects to help half a million people in shelters set up after the earthquakes, according to an estimate presented by the World Food Program (WFP).

The rain in the early hours of Tuesday gave encouragement to rescuers who, six days after the earthquakes that devastated Catia La Mar, were looking for survivors, as dehydration is the main problem after the ‘critical’ 72 hours.

Alejandro Méndez is 45 years old, born in Mexico City, and for the last 22 years he has worked as a rescuer. The vocation and “the example” come from the family: “my uncle is ‘El Chino’ and since I was a child I listened to his stories, I consider this to be a family heirloom.”

Hector Méndez, known as “El Chino” or the “Topo Mayor”, is Mexico’s most famous rescuer and was the creator of the Topos Aztecas brigade, a team of volunteers specialized in rescuing earthquake victims. The group was created after the 1985 earthquake that decimated Mexico City and, since then, the Topos have participated in all operations following the most devastating earthquakes, including in Turkey and Syria in 2023.

Talking about the Topos in Catia La Mar gives the population hope. Lusa heard from several residents that the Topos “are the best” in these operations and “get everything out of their own pockets”, as trips and equipment are purchased with donations and the brigade members’ own money.

Following the path taken by his uncle, Alejandro Méndez, who spoke to Lusa while sitting in the shade of a tent, to rest “a few minutes”, followed six other Mexican rescuers to La Guaira the day after the earthquakes of June 24.

“We knew this was where we had to be,” said Alejandro, considering that the situation is dramatic, but there are similarities with other catastrophes: “In these circumstances, there is always a lot of disorganization, it is inevitable.”

But the rescuer added that it is necessary to understand people and be patient: “We cannot forget that these people have lost family members, they have no mind to think about anything else, they just want to find them. And the most important part of our help is trying to reach them everywhere.”

Regarding the rescue operations in La Guaira, the ‘chilango’ (an expression used to describe the citizens of Mexico City) considered that “the worst thing is the heat, it makes operations very difficult”.

Six days have passed since Venezuela was shaken by two earthquakes in less than two minutes: the first with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale, the second with 7.5, according to aggregated information from several geological monitoring services.

After the initial 72 hours, the so-called ‘critical period’, the probability of finding people alive decreases drastically.

But experience gives way to hope, according to Alejandro Méndez.

“According to my experience, I think there are still possibilities of meeting people. Last night [madrugada de terça-feira] There was a storm and it rained a lot. This is good because it refreshes people who may be trapped, many people die from dehydration and this can help”, explained the rescuer, as he wipes off the sweat on his face that mixes with the dust that permeates the air.

Unfortunately, in Catia La Mar this group of rescuers has not yet found anyone alive. The terrain is difficult to access, some of the buildings that collapsed are built on the sand, so a replica or even a false move could worsen a rescue mission.

Time is pressing, but you need to know what ‘ground you’re going to step on’.

“We need to control our emotions, we have not stopped being human, but here we have to be as professional as possible, people’s lives depend on it”, advocated Alejandro.

They have no return date to Mexico, they will stay in Catia La Mar “until there is nowhere else to help.”

“We came by our own means, we managed to buy a ‘drone’ with thermal cameras and that is helping too”, he revealed.

Alejandro Méndez says that no one gets in the way: “The more that come, the better, there are always things to do, here every hand counts.”

The break was short, Alejandro and the team hurried. “We’re going to start covering that area, there haven’t been any teams there yet, hopefully we’ll be lucky,” he said, pointing to what was once a residential area.

The team collects their equipment, takes one last sip of water, puts away the bottles, picks up everything and heads through the rubble towards another mission, hoping that this time the result will be a reason to smile.