{"id":1520117,"date":"2026-07-03T07:42:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T12:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1520117"},"modified":"2026-07-03T07:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T12:42:45","slug":"venezuelans-are-rushing-to-identify-the-bodies-of-their-loved-ones-as-earthquake-deaths-multiply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1520117","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelans are rushing to identify the bodies of their loved ones as earthquake deaths multiply"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
Rescue workers and forensic technician Joel Mirabal, back left, recover the body of an earthquake victim in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo\/Matias Delacroix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) \u2014 Speaking in a hushed voice, Rosa L\u00f3pez recalled how she had to sidestep the rows of bodies lying under a harsh sun as she helped her daughter search for her missing husband. Even her years working as a nurse did not prepare her for the sight of the dozens of dead wrapped in sheets or blankets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw a lot of bodies that had not yet been identified,\u201d L\u00f3pez said.<\/p>\n

The rush is on across La Guaira, the state on Venezuela\u2019s northern coast hardest hit by the powerful back-to-back June 24 earthquakes, to identify loved ones before it\u2019s too late. With at least 2,295 people killed, Venezuela is overwhelmed with bodies that officials are struggling to collect, identify and preserve for loved ones to claim. Thousands are still missing.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Antonio Toledo, L\u00f3pez’s 25-year-old son-in-law, was found under the building where he was working as a security guard when the quakes struck. Crews took his body to a local hospital, where staff turned them away because there was no space. The body was sent to another facility and eventually transferred to an open parking lot.<\/p>\n

A forensic doctor helped the family find him days later, on Saturday. But once they identified his body, they didn\u2019t know what to do with it because they couldn\u2019t afford the $450 that a funeral home was charging.<\/p>\n

At almost midnight on Saturday, L\u00f3pez got word that the mayor\u2019s office was offering them a free space at a local cemetery, but they had to move quickly to not lose the spot. An hour later, L\u00f3pez and her daughter trudged up a hill leading to the cemetery and buried Toledo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was an exemplary person, a boy who liked helping people,\u201d L\u00f3pez said.<\/p>\n

They saved him from a mass grave that many fear is coming as they search for the bodies of their loved ones.
\nThe number of bodies found is expected to soar<\/p>\n

Forensic technician Joel Mirabal has worked for seven days straight since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck.<\/p>\n

The 45-year-old estimates that in 60% to 70% of cases, there\u2019s a relative or neighbor available to identify a body when he comes to pick it up. Even so, it\u2019s a struggle, he said, with many relying on tattoos, scars or familiar clothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t look even 10% like what they were in real life,\u201d he said of the victims.<\/p>\n

If a body cannot be identified, it goes to forensic specialists working at La Guaira seaport. Private companies have donated large cooling containers to help preserve the bodies, but the number of dead keeps growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, mass graves will have to be created,\u201d Mirabal said. \u201cThe collapse is massive, and the bodies are buried under many layers of debris.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mirabal said he and other forensic technicians anticipate spending up to three months collecting bodies.<\/p>\n

They drive around the affected areas every day, led by rescue crews and civilians who have recovered or spotted bodies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the rescues are carried out by the people,\u201d he said of the thousands of ordinary Venezuelans who have pitched in for the recovery effort.<\/p>\n

A dog trainer by profession who once helped the government locate drugs and missing people, Mirabal finds solace in the 12 dogs waiting for him at home, not counting the puppies. One of his favorites is Mila, a young black Dutch Shepherd who lay by his side on Thursday as he rested.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy at all to witness the suffering and tragedy of your fellow human beings,\u201d he said.
\nVenezuelans wait in line to try to identify loved ones<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, crews took dozens of bodies recovered from flattened buildings to a government-run health care facility in the city of La Guaira. They were left on a sweltering parking lot until families identified them, with funeral home workers estimating that more than 200 bodies were kept there at one point.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, those who lost loved ones waited outside La Guaira seaport to identify bodies that authorities continue to pick up across the coastal state. Cars, including trucks and vans from funeral homes, formed a line outside a makeshift morgue.<\/p>\n

Among those waiting was Robert Rodr\u00edguez. He sat on a concrete block, crestfallen, his legs dangling, waiting for his daughter to identify the body of his son-in-law. Rafael Alvarado died trapped inside a grocery store where he worked at the deli counter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was her best friend,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said, referring to the couple as tears soaked his blue face mask.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez said the family found Alvarado in the rubble on Wednesday, his body freed and transported to the port on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw his shoes and knew it was him,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said, adding that he warned his daughter. \u201cI told her, \u2018Prepare yourself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the family plans to cremate Alvarado and scatter his ashes on Isla de Margarita, the Venezuelan island that was his home.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speaking in a hushed voice, Rosa L\u00f3pez recalled how she had to sidestep the rows of bodies lying under a harsh sun as she helped her daughter search for her missing husband. Even her years working as a nurse did not prepare her for the sight of the dozens of dead wrapped in sheets or blankets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1520118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1502,1504],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1520117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-heads","category-abc-world-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-07-05 07:42:03","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[0],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1520117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1520119,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520117\/revisions\/1520119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1520118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1520117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1520117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1520117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}