The quakes occurred last Wednesday. The region of La Guaira near the capital Caracas was particularly affected. Thousands of people are still missing.
According to reports from the newspaper El Pitazo, school classes have been suspended nationwide for another week. The government decided to set up temporary shelters for people who lost their homes or are afraid to return to their partially destroyed houses.
According to government sources, international aid from neighboring countries as well as Europe, Africa, and Asia has now arrived. The United States had already temporarily lifted all sanctions against the South American country at the end of last week.
Compounding the situation in the La Guaira region, shops and homes have been looted. Accusations are emerging against police officers and soldiers who allegedly stole from destroyed homes or even took valuables from the dead. Observers attribute this to the hunger and misery of people who, in a country already suffering from a severe economic crisis for years, have lost everything due to the disaster.
Human rights organizations fear that the military could be used not only for assistance but also to continue persecuting the opposition. They say this has happened in other disasters.
By the beginning of the week, 1,450 deaths had been reported, and tens of thousands of people remain missing.
Source: www.zeit.de
