Aid increases as rescue window closes

Rescue teams in Venezuela are working hard to find survivors as well as victims, more than four days after twin earthquakes.

The official death toll rose to 1,450 over the weekend.

“We have recovered people alive and, therefore, the operation is not being suspended. We always maintain hope,” Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday.

But the chances of finding survivors are decreasing with each passing day.

“There is a window of about three days, 72 hours, where after that the chances are that you can rescue people alive,” Sebastian Eugster, leader of the 80-member Swiss rescue team, told Reuters.

The Venezuelan government said hundreds of people were missing or trapped under the debris. Meanwhile, a website promoted by the country’s opposition lists nearly 50,000 people still unidentified.

About 12,700 people were displaced and more than 770 buildings collapsed, with efforts underway to provide assistance to those in need.

China on Monday announced a new package of humanitarian aid for Venezuela.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was donating 100 million yuan (€12.9 million; $14.7 million) of emergency supplies to Venezuela.

The announcement comes after the European Union said on Sunday it would provide further assistance and technical assistance.

“The EU has already mobilized €5 million in emergency aid for affected communities,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on Twitter.

“The EU’s Copernicus satellite system is supporting emergency responders by mapping damage and targeting aid where it is most needed,” he said.

Dozens of countries have announced aid in the days after the earthquake.

Over the weekend, US officials indicated that millions more in aid could be announced in the coming days, on top of the $150 million already committed by the Trump administration.

Welcome to our coverage of the Venezuela earthquake response, following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck the South American nation last week.

Emergency teams continued to work to find survivors over the weekend, but the window for rescue is rapidly closing.

The focus is also on providing emergency assistance to the more than 12,000 people who have been displaced.

Follow DW for latest updates.