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A team of eight Cuban forensic doctors has been identifying between 50 and 60 bodies daily for four days in the state of La Guaira, the area most devastated by the double earthquake on June 24 that struck Venezuela with quakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5, occurring just 39 seconds apart.
The brigade consists of five forensic doctors, two forensic anthropologists, and one thanatologist, and is the only specialized international team in corpse identification that operates alongside Venezuelan authorities during this emergency.
"In four days, we have processed approximately 50 to 60 identification cases daily," stated Ruth Juárez Fontanet, a Cuban forensic doctor, to La Jornada.
The significance of that figure is magnified in light of the official report from Saturday: 2,954 deceased and 16,592 injured, according to the government of Nicolás Maduro. Although the UN and the International Rescue Committee estimate that between 50,000 and 68,000 are missing, this gap underscores the urgency of forensic work.
The citizen platform "Desaparecidos Terremotos Venezuela" reported more than 35,564 missing persons by the end of Saturday, while Maduro's government has not provided an official count of the disappeared.
Alongside the forensic work, Cuba's Special Salvage and Rescue Brigade is operating in Caraballeda, at the Coral Beach residences, where 18 Cubans are working on the recovery of at least 10 bodies buried under the rubble.
The rescuer Noel Silva explained the protocol followed by the brigade: "The main thing we do is secure the collapsed structures, as there may be some movement, which poses a high risk to the rescuers. After that, we clear the areas where the victim is located to ensure a safe extraction."
Silva specified that the Cuban brigade has been operating on the ground since the second day after the tragedy. They arrived in two groups: the first on June 28, and the second - made up of 13 specialists, including surgical and forensic doctors - on June 30. In total, they brought over seven tons of specialized equipment.
Among the specialists deployed is forensic anthropologist Yoel Monzón González, head of the Forensic Anthropology Team of Matanzas, who stated before departing: “Identification in this case is essential, because right now there is a great deal of uncertainty among the families, who do not know who they have reported missing, whether they have passed away or if they are still alive.”
The situation has a particularly painful dimension for Cuba: while its forensics teams identify Venezuelan victims, more than 20 Cubans remain missing in La Guaira, and at least eight have been confirmed dead, including a family of six found in Playa Grande.
Monzón González summarized the moral weight that guides the work of Cuban forensics in Venezuela: "Every disaster generates countless deaths, which must be treated with dignity and, at the same time, restore those identities so that family members can continue with their mourning and grief."
On Friday, the Venezuelan government awarded the "Heroes and Heroines of Venezuela" medal to the brigade of Cuban rescuers and their working dogs during a ceremony held in La Guaira.
The acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, led the event at the Jorge Luis García Carneiro Operations Base, which was also attended by Diosdado Cabello.
The ceremony recognized a total of 478 specialists and 36 canines from 12 nations. From the Cuban side, the representative of the brigade was Lieutenant Colonel Rubén Pupo, along with Ambassador Jorge Mayo Fernández.
In addition to the main distinction, the three labrador dogs of the Cuban brigade - Tito, Eva, and Choco - received the "Canine Heroes of Venezuela" award for their work in locating individuals trapped under rubble.
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