The emotional toll of the rescue efforts

Let's consider this where every day we go deep on one big news story. todayoday, searching for loved ones in Venezuela It has been more than one week since twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela As of Wednesday, the death toll soared to two thousand two hundred and ninety five people, with more than eleven thousand injured. That's according to official data from Venezuela's government Tens of thousands more are missing and time is running out to find people alive in the rubble Fa I look like I got that G I That's a rescue worker shouting into a large void in the middle of some rubble, announcing himself and asking any possible survivors to make noise Throughout the country, families and rescue workers are left to search for loved ones who might still be alive Consider this. Behind the staggering numbers of the dead, missing and injured are the stories of real people who are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. We follow some people who are searching for their loved ones From NPR, I'm Janna Somers It's consider this from NPR. The devastation is vast in Venezuela. The death toll from the earthquake has reached nearly two three hundred, more than eleven thousand are injured, according to the official government count Along the northern coast and the hardest hit areas, families of the missing have taken it upon themselves to dig through the rubble to find their loved ones And pairs A Perlta recently joined some of them as they search for the missing Just a few weeks ago, Laiaacito used to be an idyllic little beach town. snack shops along the beach, thatched roof stores that sold swimwear. Now dozens of people are sleeping outdoors in those same restaurants. On the hills, many of the high rises that looked out upon the Caribbean have crumbled And the focus for all the neighbors is ten year old Misis. His dad Rener Ramirez, has been here for seven days digging by hand with neighbors, trying to find him under the rubble of his apartment. He's my middle child. When the earthquake struck, he was at home with his two brothers and his mom. They ran toward the door as the earth started shaking. His mom says when things started falling on her, she made eye contact with noises But he ran back into the house to try to save the family dog. Amites's wife and his two other kids were rescued from the wreckage hours after the quake. Without thinking, Cramide slips into the past tents am or also Mus we h it on Mises was a lovely, sweet kid, very playful deaf and mute, but the whole neighborhood knew him because he found a way to make people laugh. His cousin, Alejandro Ramides, says he would start joking as soon as he saw you I didn't understand a thing, but he still made me laugh As we talk the neighbors working on the dig find some of his belongings, it means Moises must not be far That night I take a ride along the coast on a motorcycle and the destruction is apocalyptic. Some buildings are pulverized, others have tipped over, the different floors are stacked neatly on top of each other. Wherever you turn, there is desperation. In Mosco's beach I find Ivanos Cortega who was looking for Romeel Para her best friend. He's like my brother, she says. On her phone, she has a picture of Barat, his wife and their little girl. He's making a silly face. The little girl is serious, dressed in her Sunday best Otega says she got a call from Para two days ago A She picked up, but all she heard was static, like he was in a closed room. For seven days, they've searched alone, trying to figure out which pieces of concrete they can remove safely Finally, she was able to find a group of miners, experts in search and rescue to come and help. They came with dogs and heat sensors. It was a moment of hope Nice deasure The miners get right to work, they want silence so they can hear if anyone is alive.. They hear noises on top of the building. They climb quickly. Another man wiggles into a hole at the bottom of the building and he emerges with a video on his cell phone It shows a woman trapped in the rubble hugging a little girl. Ortega just shakes her head as reality hits. These were the most Christian people she knew, she tells herself. These were praying people. They prayed when they ate, when they left home, when they got in the car. A neighbor wraps her arms around her They're with Christ, my love. And you're demonstrating what true friendship looks like. The miners say it's too dangerous to pull out the bodies because they're already deced We did what we could, they say, and take off to the next building. Even eight days after the earthquake, miracles do continue to happen. The person was found alive on day eight, but not that night. That night a nearly full moon rose over the wreckage And the air smelled of death. In the corner of another building, the father quietly sobs. He's alone now. They had just pulled the bodies of both his kids, ten and fifteen out of the wreckage. His wife is still in there somewhere I'm so angry at the government that they just let us die here. He asked we not use his name because he fears retribution from the government. We got no help, I says. They treated us like dogs By the time we get back to the quiet beach town, it was past two in the morning Finally, a crew with big machines had showed up. Moiseise's cousin, Alejandro Ramirez, leans against a truck. His eyes are heavy. Yesterday I got to the point where my body just couldn't take it anymore. But he's not leaving, he says, until Moisees is out of the rubble Those of us who are alive are living in the purgatory, he says. We don't know what is going to happen to us The machine struggled with a huge boulder that ended up inside the apartment building. It's painstaking work, The back homeo moves some dirt, and everyone inspects it for signs of mooises. They search until the sun comes up and around midday they do find mooises. The boy who one neighbor called possibly beautiful was laid to rest that same afternoon. Later Pala in Pure News, L Waida, Venezuela This episode was produced by Geffrey Pierre with Audio Engineering by Ted Mebane. Our director is Elena Burnett. It was edited by Tara Neil and Tenb Amius. Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning . Let's consider this from NPR I'm Janna Summers