At least 2,295 killed in Venezuela twin quakes: Push to identify bodies continues

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela: Speaking in a hushed voice, Rosa López 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. "We saw a lot of bodies that had not yet been identified,” López said. The rush is on across La Guaira, the state on Venezuela’s northern coast hardest hit by the powerful back-to-back June 24 earthquakes, to identify loved ones before it’s 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. José Antonio Toledo, López'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. It was sent to another facility and eventually transferred to an open parking lot. Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble of buildings damaged in the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP) A forensic doctor helped the family find him days later, on Saturday. But once they identified his body, they didn’t know what to do with it because they couldn’t afford the $450 that a funeral home was charging. At almost midnight on Saturday, López got word that the mayor’s 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, López and her daughter trudged up a hill leading to the cemetery and buried Toledo. "He was an exemplary person, a boy who liked helping people,” López said. They saved him from a mass grave that many fear is coming as they search for the bodies of their loved ones. Forensic technician Joel Mirabal has worked for seven days straight since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck. The 45-year-old estimates that in 60%-70% of cases, there’s a relative or neighbor available to identify a body when he comes to pick it up. Even so, it’s a struggle, he said, with many relying on tattoos, scars or familiar clothing. "They don’t look even 10% like what they were in real life,” he said of the victims. German Bello, right, a volunteer with the Mexican search-and-rescue brigade Los Topos Azteca, embraces a Venezuelan man who approached the team to thank them as they departed for Venezuela from Mexico City's airport, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP) 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. "Obviously, mass graves will have to be created,” Mirabal said. "The collapse is massive, and the bodies are buried under many layers of debris.” Mirabal said he and other forensic technicians anticipate spending up to three months collecting bodies. They drive around the affected areas every day, led by rescue crews and civilians who have recovered or spotted bodies. "Many of the rescues are carried out by the people,” he said of the thousands of ordinary Venezuelans who have pitched in for the recovery effort. 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. A view of a temporary morgue and stacks of coffins at Los Silos seaport in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026, set up by authorities for the people who perished in the twin earthquakes that struck the country last week. (AP) "It’s not easy at all to witness the suffering and tragedy of your fellow human beings,” he said. 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. 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. A woman searches through the rubble of a building damaged in the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP) Among those waiting was Robert Rodríguez. 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. "He was her best friend,” Rodríguez said as tears soaked his blue face mask. Rodriguez sa