Venezuelan earthquake survivors

Available for over a year

The people of Venezuela are still reeling from the aftermath of two powerful earthquakes which struck near the capital Caracas in June. As buildings collapsed, the impact was devastating. Over two and a half thousand are recorded dead but, with tens of thousands of people still missing, the final number will be much higher. We hear from people who were in Caracas and the nearby port of La Guiada - one of the worst affected areas. Some have been made homeless. Some are students, who were about to graduate and are now mourning the loss of friends. Some, like Gonzalo, are continuing to search for those who are still trapped beneath collapsed buildings. (Photo: A Brazilian firefighter works at the site of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela. Credit: Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria) While rescue teams have arrived from all over the world, Gonzalo is dismayed at the shortage of aid from his own government. "As Venezuelans right now we cannot afford to stop and process. We are stuck in the loop of helping, helping, helping, helping, helping. We have to get each other out, we have to get each other out, which is a beautiful thing," said Gonzalo. "But the painful thing is that it's just a sign of how alone we are. How destroyed the network of this country is and that is the most desolating part of it all." Host: James Reynolds BBC producers: Iqra Farooq and Ryan Keane Boffin Media producer: Sue Nelson Editors: Harriet Oliver and Arja Haikonen An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team.