By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): For a few extraordinary moments over the weekend, hope cut through the despair in Venezuela. Rescuers from the United States, France, and Venezuela pulled a father and his son alive from the rubble after four days trapped beneath a collapsed building. A Colombian team rescued an 11-year-old boy buried about 10 feet under the debris, and another crew lifted a crying baby, wrapped in a blanket, to safety.
But those rare miracles are becoming fewer by the hour, and the overall picture grows grimmer by the day. According to NBC News, the death toll from Venezuela’s powerful twin earthquakes has risen to 1,450, with tens of thousands of people still unaccounted for. Officials say around 3,150 were injured and more than 12,000 displaced, while a website set up to help families find loved ones listed over 46,000 as missing.
With the critical 72-hour window for finding survivors now passed, the massive operation is slowly shifting from rescue to the recovery of bodies. Even so, Venezuelans have refused to give up, digging through mountains of concrete with shovels, ropes, and their bare hands, joined by dozens of international teams. The United Nations said more than 2,000 specialists and around 140 search dogs had been deployed, with additional teams, including from Israel, arriving on Monday.
Belize, too, has answered the call. Prime Minister John Briceño said he spoke directly with Venezuela’s interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, to offer the country’s support. “I assured her that Belize stands with the Venezuelan people and is ready to assist, including deploying Belizean linesmen to help restore electricity,” he said. The Prime Minister had earlier offered Belize’s deepest sympathies, noting that in such moments, our shared humanity is stronger than any challenge nature can bring.
That pledge of linesmen is especially relevant, as restoring power has been a key part of the recovery. Rodríguez said electricity, water, and road access had been largely restored in the hardest-hit coastal state of La Guaira, though enormous challenges remain.
The response has not been without criticism, however. NBC News reported growing frustration among Venezuelans, with some residents in the disaster zone saying they saw little sign of the thousands of personnel officials claimed were deployed.
As Venezuela faces the long road to recovery, the support flowing in from around the world, Belize included, stands as a reminder that a grieving nation does not have to face its darkest hour alone.
The post Venezuela’s darkest hour: more than 1,400 lives lost appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): For a few extraordinary moments over the weekend, hope cut through the despair in Venezuela. Rescuers from the United States, France, and Venezuela pulled a father and his son alive from the rubble after four days trapped beneath a collapsed building. A Colombian team rescued an 11-year-old boy buried
The post Venezuela’s darkest hour: more than 1,400 lives lost appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.