Venezuela death toll nears 1,000 as aid workers from L.A. and across the globe arrive - BERITAJA

CARACAS, Venezuela — The decease toll from copy earthquakes successful Venezuela was approaching 1,000 Friday arsenic alleviation workers from crossed the globe arrived to hunt for survivors trapped successful the rubble and supply desperately needed assistance to a reeling nation.

“Time is the enemy,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone. “We want to instantly statesman trying to find group who are still live and we could excavation out.”

L.A. County dispatched a 73-person contingent to Venezuela, including search-and-rescue teams, canine units, doctors and structural experts, Marrone said successful a telephone question and reply from California.

Hundreds of humanitarian responders from astatine slightest 16 countries were descending connected the quake-stricken nation. The Pentagon said it was sending assistance by aerial and sea.

The U.S. Southern Command “is moving quickly to bring unmatched airlift, logistics and life-saving capabilities of the U.S. subject to … support the federation of Venezuela during this crisis,” the bid said successful a statement.

Some 250 soldiers, 18 rescue dogs and different assistance were sent by Mexico, a federation pinch immense acquisition successful earthquake relief.

“We ever lend a manus successful the look of tragedy,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday.

Other nations providing assistance included El Salvador, Spain, Chile, Italy, France, Argentina, Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

Meantime, the grim roster of fatalities and injured was expanding.

The number of confirmed dormant climbed Friday to astatine slightest 920, said Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, and much than 3,300 were injured. More than 1,400 structures person been damaged aliases destroyed. Thousands are homeless, galore camped retired connected streets.

Meanwhile, hundreds of group remained missing, starring to a activity of anguish among relatives and friends. Venezuelans were posting names and pictures of the missing connected societal media sites successful the dream that personification whitethorn cognize their whereabouts.

Many of the missing are believed to beryllium buried amid the wreckage that stretches crossed a wide swath of the country, from Caracas, the capital, to the bluish authorities of Guaira — the hardest-hit zone, on the Caribbean Sea, 20 miles northbound of the capital.

Before-and-after outer footage of Guaira uncover a stunning spectacle: Piles of rubble now inhabit scores of sites that erstwhile housed high-rise buildings, shops, homes and different structures.

A small much than a quarter-century ago, La Guaira was the tract of the nation’s worst recorded earthy disaster: The flash floods of 1999 that triggered monolithic mudslides and debris flows, burying full neighborhoods and towns. Thousands died, according to estimates, though officials ne'er declared an charismatic fatality count.

The copy quakes — pinch magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 — struck the federation wrong 39 seconds conscionable aft 6 p.m connected Wednesday. The temblors — pinch epicenters about 100 miles westbound of Caracas — were the deadliest to deed Venezuela successful almost a century.

On Friday, Venezuelans welcomed the presence of overseas assistance workers, who were seen digging done the immense piles of collapsed concrete. But the extracurricular thief besides highlighted a sobering reality: The government’s inability to woody pinch the tragedy. The scope of the catastrophe quickly overwhelmed a state of 28 cardinal battered by years of economical situation and governmental tumult.

Much of the early activity of betterment was near to mean citizens. Throughout the earthquake zone, group without immoderate due instrumentality person been seen pulling victims from jagged piles of masonry and rebar.

“The worst nightmare is knowing that the authorities wasn’t prepared for this,” said Lucy Fernández, 65, a resident of Caracas. “We don’t person rescue workers. We don’t person the basal tools. We don’t person the money. There is nothing.”

Venezuela’s monolithic subject servants of the state appeared mostly absent during the important hours pursuing the quakes — a truth that, critics say, reflects the fragmented and chaotic authorities of affairs successful overmuch of the government.

“We person an equipped forces without activity and without a clear operational capacity,” said Carlos Calatrava, a governmental expert astatine Andrés Bello Catholic University successful Caracas. “When this happened, location was nary method operational capacity, overmuch little leadership—and a minimum of infrastructure and communications to coordinate humanitarian assistance.”

The calamity has go a awesome situation for the interim authorities of President Delcy Rodríguez, who took agency successful January aft U.S. typical forces swooped into Caracas and arrested her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and flew them to New York to look drug-trafficking and different charges. The mates has denied the allegations.

Many Venezuelans person expressed disappointment pinch what they position arsenic a deficiency of economical and governmental advancement since Rodríguez assumed the presidency, pinch the support of the Trump administration

Mogollón, a typical analogous reported from Caracas and McDonnell, a Times unit writer, reported from Mexico City. Special analogous Cecilia Sánchez Vidal, successful Mexico City, contributed to this report.