Residents of Catia La Mencuna, a coastal community in Venezuela, continued to manually clear debris with hand tools on Friday, June 26, 2026, as they pleaded for heavy machinery to recover bodies trapped under earthquake rubble. The desperate search comes nearly 40 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the region, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured.
Manual Search Efforts Continue
In the Playa Grande area of Catia La Mar, community members used sticks, shovels, picks, hammers, and their bare hands to sift through wreckage on Friday morning. According to a report from Telemundo Utah, the lack of professional equipment has forced locals to conduct much of the recovery work themselves.
The intensity of the search led residents to block a vehicle traveling toward another zone, attempting to force the heavy machinery to remain in their community to assist with the recovery efforts. The movement reflects growing frustration as the smell of decomposing remains begins to affect the area.
Lack of Professional Resources
Local residents described the situation as extremely precarious due to a lack of specialized tools and trained personnel. José Ramírez, a resident searching for his sister-in-law who remains trapped under a collapsed building, stated that while humanitarian aid such as food and beverages has arrived, it has primarily come from well-meaning individuals traveling from Caracas.
Ramírez noted that the odor of the deceased is becoming unbearable and emphasized the urgent need for professional assistance. He reported finding a mattress in the rubble where his sister-in-law had been sleeping when the earthquakes struck, providing a small glimmer of hope that her remains might be located during the day's efforts.
Impact on Survivors
The search for family members has become an exhausting, around-the-clock struggle for many in the coastal town. Héctor Galindo, who is searching for his mother and two siblings, lamented that the community lacks the necessary strength and equipment to move the heavy debris on their own.
Many survivors are currently living without permanent shelter, with some remaining outdoors among the ruins while others have sought refuge in temporary shelters. The psychological and physical toll of the disaster continues to mount as the search for the missing persists.
Rising Death Toll and Aftershocks
The scale of the catastrophe was confirmed by Venezuela's acting leader, Delcy Rodríguez. On Friday, June 26, Rodríguez announced that the death toll resulting from the two powerful earthquakes had risen to 589 people.
In addition to the fatalities, Rodríguez reported that 2,980 individuals have sustained injuries due to the seismic activity. The geological instability remains a critical concern for rescue workers and residents alike, as officials confirmed that 214 aftershocks have already been recorded following the initial magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors.
