Venezuela goes through decisive hours in the middle of the search for survivors. Five days from double earthquake that hit the Caribbean country, leaving at least 1,450 dead, 3,150 injured and 70,000 people missing, The emergency operation is still underway.
With humanitarian support from more than 20 countries, international teams are working in the most affected areas to locate those who remain under the rubble. Although specialists point out that the first 72 hours are the most critical for find people alive, Emergency teams still manage to rescue survivors.
Earthquakes in Venezuela: how long can a person survive under the rubble?
About a less chance of finding survivors as the days go byRaquel Bernedo, Emergency Technician of the Spanish Red Cross, explained to the EFE agency that there is still uncertainty and that each rescue It depends on multiple factors.
«It is true that after 72 hours it is more difficult to find people alive, but it is also true that «Yesterday people were found who had been buried in rubble for 96 hours.»he pointed out.
Daniel Losada, Disaster Management technician at the Spanish Red Cross, agreed in an interview with the newspaper El País that the greatest probability of finding people alive is concentrated during the first three days. However, he clarified that This period is a statistical reference and not an absolute limit.
«Even if that time passes, the teams continue searching and continue finding people with vinea, but experience tells us that this is the main window of survival,» he stated.
On the other hand, specialists assure that the Chances of surviving under rubble vary depending on conditions in which the person was trapped.
Among the factors that can make a difference are the severity of the injuriesthe ability to breathehe access to waterthe existence of air spaces between the debris, the weather conditions and the previous physical state of the victim.
«Las possibilities to find survivors in a collapsed building after five to seven days they are rare, but not impossible«Jarone Lee, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, who has been studying and participating in disaster responses for more than a decade, explained to The New York Times.
The American media also points out that even people who remain unharmed continue to be exposed to significant risks, such as dehydration, lack of food, extreme temperatures and dust-laden air, which can make breathing difficult.
Added to all this is another challenge for rescuers: the replicas. These new seismic movements can cause new collapses or destabilize already damaged structures, which requires extreme security measures and, in many cases, slows down search and rescue tasks to avoid putting both survivors and emergency teams at risk.
Finally, the history of other earthquakes and the rescues registered this Monday, June 29 They show that it is still possible to find survivors several days after the collapse. For this reason, emergency teams continue the search tasks.
