Venezuelans across the quake zone and in the capital Caracas held a minute of silence Friday to honor victims of the tremors that struck one month ago. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors on June 24 killed 5,546 people and injured almost 17,000 more. Many more are missing. Hundreds of buildings were pulverized and more than 23,000 people were left homeless.
Dozens of rescue volunteers and family members searching for their relatives paused their work at a decimated building in Tanaguarena, La Guaira, to observe the tribute. Before the minute of silence at 6:04 pm (2204 GMT), a woman recited prayers and clutched rosary beads in front of a makeshift altar bearing toys and stuffed animals.
Social media posts called on Venezuelans to join in the moment of silence, which took place around the worst-hit state of La Guaira and in squares across Caracas. Families and friends continue to sift through the wreckage every day.
Anyel Andrade, 32, is still searching for missing loved ones. "Honestly, I want all the families to pray for those who are no longer here. And we, who still have relatives in there, we want to pray so that they can finally come out," Andrade said, standing near ruins. "We are a people who are illiterate when it comes to this seismic system. And this caught us completely by surprise."
During a military ceremony broadcast on television, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said the earthquakes made Venezuelans "victims of nature." She praised the efforts of the armed forces who "went out there to attend to the people of Venezuela, to accompany them, to rescue, to save lives, to get their boots covered in mud -- and they are still there in the affected areas."
Many Venezuelans have been critical of the government's response to the disaster, and on Friday, supporters of ousted president Nicolas Maduro -- who was whisked out of the country in a deadly US military operation in January -- took aim at American assistance after the quakes. About 100 pro-Maduro supporters burned an American flag and an Israeli flag in central Caracas, and trampled on photos of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters chanted, "Gringos go home" and "This is not aid, it's an occupation," according to an AFP photographer at the scene.
