The confirmed death toll has risen to at least 1,450 following two earthquakes in Venezuela, as a multinational search and rescue operation continues.
Rescue teams from multiple countries are working alongside local responders to locate survivors under the rubble. Approximately 2,000 search and rescue personnel have been deployed to the affected areas.
International Response
The international teams include responders from the United Kingdom, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Spain, Chile, Ecuador, and Panama. Personnel on the ground include paramedics, doctors, and search dog handlers.
One commercial flight operated by COPA airlines departed Panama City for Valencia, Venezuela, transporting rescue workers and equipment free of charge. A passenger on that flight, a Venezuelan from La Guaira, reported losing four family members and a friend in the disaster.
Search Operations
Search teams are utilizing dogs, sound detection devices, and cameras to locate survivors beneath collapsed structures.
"The 96-hour period commonly associated with the highest probability of finding survivors ended on Sunday evening."
Lee Ivory, deputy national coordinator for UK International Search and Rescue (UK ISAR), stated that search efforts continue with the same level of detail as on the first day.
Paramedic Steven Salazar Vasquez noted that after 72 hours, the statistical probability of finding survivors under rubble decreases. He added that partially collapsed structures may contain viable spaces, which he referred to as "the triangle of life."
Logistical Challenges
Dan Johnson, a BBC correspondent reporting from Cucuta, Colombia, near the Venezuelan border, reported that the transport and positioning of personnel and equipment to appropriate locations presents a complex logistical task.
Official Statements
"I retain 'faith and hope' that survivors will be rescued," stated Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez during an overnight briefing.