Venezuelans across the quake zone and in Caracas held a minute of silence on Friday to honour the victims of the tremors that struck one month ago.
Dozens of rescue volunteers and family members searching for their relatives paused their work at a decimated building in Tanaguarena, La Guaira, to observe the tribute.
Before the minute of silence at 6:04 pm (local time), a woman recited prayers and clutched rosary beads in front of a makeshift altar bearing toys and stuffed animals.
The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors on 24 June killed 5,546 people and injured almost 17,000 more. Many more are missing.
The tremors pulverised hundreds of buildings and left more than 23,000 people homeless.
Social media posts called on Venezuelans to join in the moment of silence, which took place around the worst-hit state of La Guaira and in squares across Caracas.
Families and friends continue to sift through the wreckage every day.
Anyel Andrade, 32, is still searching for missing loved ones.
“Honestly, I want all the families to pray for those who are no longer here. And we, who still have relatives in there, want to pray that they can finally come out,” Andrade said, standing near the ruins.
“We are a people who are illiterate when it comes to this seismic system. And the quake caught us completely by surprise,” Anyel added.
During a military ceremony broadcast on television, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said, "The earthquakes made Venezuelans victims of nature.”
She praised the armed forces for attending to the people of Venezuela, rescuing them, saving lives, and getting their boots muddy, and they are still in the affected areas.
Many Venezuelans have been critical of the government’s response to the disaster, and on Friday, supporters of ousted president Nicolas Maduro, who was whisked out of the country in a deadly US military operation in January, took aim at American assistance after the quakes.
About 100 pro-Maduro supporters burnt an American flag and an Israeli flag in central Caracas and trampled on photos of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protesters chanted, ‘Gringos go home’ and ‘This is not aid, it’s an occupation’.”
