'We want a dignified burial': family members face difficulties repatriating bodies of Brazilians killed in earthquake in Venezuela

Amid the devastation of earthquakes, Venezuelans unite in search of survivors
The families of the two Brazilians killed in the earthquakes that hit Venezuela now face a new battle: managing to bring the bodies back to Brazil. Amidst the mourning, relatives report difficulties in obtaining information and demand speed in the repatriation process.
Among the confirmed victims are the model from Brasilia Vanessa Zacarias da Silva and the pastor Romildo Batista de Lima, from Uberlândia.
While awaiting the release of the religious man's body, family members say they face obstacles in obtaining information from the Brazilian authorities.
"We are having a lot of difficulty. In the first few days, we couldn't have contact with the Itamaraty, we couldn't have contact with the embassy", reports a family member. "We need this access to information to be able to pursue other things", said Isabela, Romildo's niece.
The family's main wish is to be able to say goodbye in Brazil.
"Our only wish is to bring him back to Brazil, so we can hold a wake with the family and have a dignified burial", said the family member.
The difficulty occurs amid the devastation caused by the earthquakes, which have already left more than 1,400 dead and thousands of homeless. Rescue work continues in several cities, while teams are still searching for those missing under the rubble.
'We want a dignified burial': family members seek to repatriate Brazilian victims of earthquakes in Venezuela
Reproduction/TV Globo
Earthquakes in Venezuela leave blocks destroyed, and residents complain about rescue failures
Scenes of destruction
Fantástico recorded scenes of the wreckage after two earthquakes hit Venezuela and left hundreds dead. Entire blocks were destroyed and, in several places, the scenes were desolate
The first tremor had a magnitude of 7.2. Just 39 seconds later, another one happened, measuring 7.5. With the scale being logarithmic, the second released almost three times more energy than the first.
In the Los Cocos region, there were few professional rescuers. It was one of the main complaints against the actions of President Delcy Rodríguez's government.
"Not a single helicopter has appeared here since all this started. Not a helicopter to bring water, put out fires... nothing, nothing," said a resident. Venezuela
Survivors report despair
The rescue of a mother and her newborn son amid rubble became one of the symbols of hope after the earthquakes.
The baby was passed from hand to hand in the ruins of a house until he reached his father's arms. Moments later, her mother, Dayana, was also pulled from the wreckage to applause and screams of celebration.
Carmen, one of the survivors, said she noticed the building where she was collapsing. "I realized that the building was collapsing. Until, I don't know after how long, everything stopped shaking and it became dark, with a lot of dust. And I said: 'I'm alive'."
It was five hours trapped in the rubble, with injuries to my arms and legs, until I heard voices coming from outside. "When it was already 2 am, a boy approached me, outside the rubble and said he was going to help me."
The man called Carmen's family, who called Beto, her cousin who found her amid the rubble and managed to rescue her with the help of volunteers. Afterwards, he managed to stop an ambulance that helped her.
"I insisted and the man told me: 'Let's take your cousin to Caracas'. Now, she is in this private hospital, and the worst thing is that the health plan doesn't cover earthquakes. So, there will be a huge bill", said Beto.
In Laguaira, one of the most affected cities, residents and volunteers continue to remove victims from the rubble
Reproduction/TV Globo

Source: G1