"I Have to Collect Scrap Metal Just to Afford a Snack"... Residents Struggling to Survive Amid Ruins with 2,900 Dead

Picking Up Copper from Earthquake Rubble to Earn a Living
Residents Lose Sources of Income as Tourism and Local Businesses Collapse
2,954 Dead and 16,592 Injured in the Disaster

Venezuelan residents who lost their livelihoods due to the massive earthquake are surviving on just a few dollars a day by collecting and selling metals such as copper and aluminum from the rubble of collapsed buildings.

On the 5th (local time), people are searching for belongings in a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela. Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on the 5th (local time), citing the Argentine daily Clarín, “Debris from disaster sites continues to pile up in a vacant lot near Caraballeda, La Guaira State, where earthquake damage is concentrated. Dozens of residents are sifting through piles of concrete and rebar, searching for copper that they can exchange for cash.”

Jose Diaz, 54, has been picking up copper and aluminum here since three days ago. He used to make a living selling mangoes to tourists on the beach, but when tourist traffic stopped and his income disappeared, he turned to scavenging through debris. He said, “If I can make just 5 dollars a day (about 7,600 won), I can at least buy a snack.”

Residents from the nearby town of Naiguatá, which suffered relatively less damage, are also flocking to the site. One resident said, “We get 5 dollars for 1 kilogram of copper,” adding, “Since new debris keeps coming in, there will be plenty more to search through in the future.”

On this day, when a dump truck unloaded debris brought from the disaster area, residents rushed in at once, trying to be the first to grab wires, air conditioners, and metals from household appliances.

While residents were seen sharing food with rescue workers dispatched from various countries, incidents of theft also continued to occur. Some residents claimed that outsiders stole electronic devices and parts from buildings and vehicles where rescue operations had been completed.

Venezuela earthquake damage site. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

In Venezuela, even when combining the base salary and various allowances, the monthly income for many workers, including those in the public sector, remains at about 240 dollars (around 370,000 won). As a result, many residents are supplementing their insufficient livelihoods through informal labor, day jobs, and collecting recyclables. Clarín pointed out, “With the earthquake having devastated the tourism industry and local businesses, residents who lost their previous means of livelihood are now forced to collect metals from the ruins, making just a few dollars a day. This scene simultaneously highlights both the large-scale disaster and Venezuela’s chronic economic crisis.”

This disaster was triggered by two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, that struck consecutively on June 24. As of July 4, the death toll had risen to 2,954, with 16,592 people injured. The United Nations and others estimate the number of missing or unaccounted-for persons at more than 50,000. A total of 885 buildings were declared unusable, and 189 buildings reportedly collapsed, mainly in Caracas and La Guaira.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.