Almost 50,000 people remain missing in Venezuela, says NGO

Almost 50,000 people remain missing in the cities of La Guaira and Caracas, Venezuela, under the rubble of structures that collapsed after last week's earthquakes, said the ICR (International Rescue Committee).

In addition, the IRC said teams said there was a lack of basic items for survivors, such as drinking water.

"The response is not proportionate to the scale of humanitarian needs. Medical services in health centers and mobile units are overwhelmed, shelters are full and water and electricity services remain interrupted in all affected areas," the IRC said in a statement.

The organization added that a "massive" flow of aid arrived in the country, but there was no coordination in its receipt, which caused a "significant deterioration of food".

"As search and rescue teams begin to withdraw in the coming days, humanitarian organizations warn that food needs will resurface and intensify, even as the end of the rescue phase approaches. The IRC is scaling up its response as teams on the ground report that the full extent of the destruction becomes clearer with each passing hour," the NGO said.

Nicole Kast, director of the IRC in Venezuela, said what is seen in the shelters is "heartbreaking."

"Women alone with young children, without documents, without medication and without knowing where their partners or relatives are," Kast said in the press release. "The children are not sleeping.

Each aftershock triggers collective panic in shelters, and the psychological impact of this will persist long after the rubble has been removed."

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Source: CNN