The United States military has repaired and reopened a major seaport in Venezuela’s worst-hit earthquake zone as authorities begin burying victims of the devastating twin earthquakes that have claimed more than 1,700 lives.

The development comes five days after the powerful back-to-back earthquakes devastated entire communities, leaving thousands injured and tens of thousands still unaccounted for.

According to the latest official figures, at least 1,700 people have died while 5,000 others have been injured. Authorities have yet to provide an official number of those still missing, although other estimates suggest the figure could run into the tens of thousands.

The Port of La Guaira has resumed operations, with the USS Fort Lauderdale docked to deliver humanitarian supplies. An AFP correspondent at the scene reported that a warehouse near the port contained hundreds of unidentified bodies stored in white and black body bags alongside several coffins.

Outside the temporary morgue, grieving relatives waited anxiously for updates as forensic personnel worked to identify victims.

Nearby, rescue workers and volunteers continued searching through collapsed buildings, although hopes of finding survivors have diminished significantly five days after the disaster.

American military personnel are also assisting with efforts to restore operations at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas, which sustained significant damage during the earthquakes.

On Monday, a fresh 4.6-magnitude earthquake rattled the area, triggering renewed fear among residents already traumatised by the disaster.

Rescue Teams Continue Search Despite Slim Chances

The Venezuelan government has deployed military personnel across La Guaira and introduced a permit system restricting access to the disaster zone.

Residents have expressed frustration over what they describe as a slow government response in a country already struggling with years of economic and political challenges.

According to Gianluca Rampolla, the United Nations coordinator in Venezuela, 27 countries have deployed nearly 40 search-and-rescue teams, involving more than 2,000 emergency personnel and over 160 rescue dogs.

Rampolla also disclosed that the United Nations would provide 10,000 body bags, while expressing hope that the final death toll would not reach current projections.

Although the internationally recognised 72-hour rescue window officially closed on Saturday evening, search operations have continued.

Those efforts paid off on Monday when a 21-year-old man identified as Aaron Levi was rescued alive from the rubble in the coastal town of Tanaguarena, according to footage shared by a photographer who witnessed the operation.

The United Nations estimates that nearly seven million people will ultimately be affected by the disaster, while the earthquakes are expected to cause approximately $6.7 billion in economic losses, representing about 6 percent of Venezuela’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Families Say Final Goodbye

At Caracas’ main public cemetery, funeral services have intensified as families begin laying their loved ones to rest.

The cemetery’s two cremation ovens are operating continuously, while dozens of grieving families wait for burial arrangements.

Between Friday and Sunday alone, officials conducted between 60 and 70 burials each day.

Emotional scenes unfolded during the funerals, with mourners openly expressing their grief.

When workers prepared to seal the burial niche of his nephew, Sergio Vergara collapsed to his knees after helping recover the bodies of several relatives from a collapsed building in La Guaira.

“It was a horrible experience, pulling him out, his children,” said the 42-year-old.

Many families are still waiting for confirmation about missing relatives.

“My family is there — I’m told my sister and her children are there, as well as the children of my brother,” Wilker Molalla told AFP while waiting to identify bodies.

“There were 11 people in my household; only two of us survived because we were at work,” he said.

Politics Remains in Focus

As rescue operations continue, political tensions have also resurfaced.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado accused the interim administration led by Delcy Rodriguez of preventing her return to Venezuela.

Machado, who has been living in exile since December after leaving the country to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo, released a video on X addressing supporters.

“I am ready and close to Venezuela and will do whatever it takes for us to meet there,” she said, while alleging that the government had effectively closed the country’s airspace to stop her return.

The Venezuelan government has not responded to the allegation, and neither has the United States, which continues coordinating humanitarian operations in the country.

At least 14 Saudi nationals have died after a helicopter operated by Saudi oil giant Aramco crashed on Sunday in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), quoting an official from the Ministry of Energy, the helicopter went down in Ras Tanura, a major oil-producing city in the country’s Eastern Province.

“The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency reported, adding that authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, operates one of the biggest corporate aviation fleets in the Middle East. The company reportedly has more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters that serve over 300 heliports across Saudi Arabia.

The crash comes at a time when Gulf countries are working to increase oil production following recent Iranian attacks and the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas exports.

Despite the heightened regional tensions, Saudi authorities did not indicate that the helicopter crash was linked to any hostile attack.

During the recent conflict in the Middle East, several energy facilities across the Gulf region came under attack from Iran.

Ras Tanura is home to one of the Middle East’s largest oil refineries, with a production capacity of approximately 550,000 barrels per day, making it a key component of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure.

The facility has previously been targeted, including during an Iranian drone attack earlier in the conflict, which triggered a fire and forced parts of the refinery to shut down temporarily.

In April, Saudi Arabia disclosed that sustained attacks over several weeks had disrupted production at multiple strategic energy facilities, including refineries in Ras Tanura, Jubail, Yanbu, and Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia remains the world’s largest exporter of crude oil, producing slightly above 10 million barrels of oil per day.

Authorities are continuing investigations to establish the exact circumstances surrounding Sunday’s fatal helicopter crash.

The Kremlin has reaffirmed that Russia’s conditions for reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine remain the same as those outlined by President Vladimir Putin in 2024, insisting there has been no shift in Moscow’s position despite ongoing discussions about ending the war.

Speaking on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia continues to stand by the terms previously presented by President Putin, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions claimed by Moscow and Kyiv’s abandonment of its ambition to join NATO.

“Our position is well known. In fact, our position has not changed. It was set out two years ago by our Head of State in a speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is well known to the Kyiv regime, it is well known to the American negotiators, and it is entirely consistent,” Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin’s statement follows remarks made by President Vladimir Putin during a television interview over the weekend, where he reiterated that Russia intends to continue its military campaign until it gains full control of the four regions it claims as part of its territory.

Putin also dismissed what he described as a new proposal from Ukraine aimed at reducing hostilities in the war, which has now lasted for more than four years.

According to Putin, Ukraine proposed a mutual suspension of long-range missile and drone strikes, while limiting military operations to the four disputed regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia considers the four regions part of its territory, but Ukraine continues to reject the claim, describing the annexation as illegal.

As of the time of reporting, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not responded to Putin’s comments or the Kremlin’s latest statement.

Peskov also disclosed that President Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during their meeting over the weekend before Lukashenko departed for China for official talks.

The latest remarks underline Moscow’s continued insistence on its long-standing demands as the basis for any future peace negotiations, even as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue.