Sawt Falasteen - US reopens Venezuela port as quake deaths top 1,700

Five days after powerful back-to-back quakes flattened entire neighborhoods in the coastal state of La Guaira, the task of recovering the dead loomed large, as hopes of finding survivors faded.

At a makeshift morgue set up in a port warehouse in La Guaira, hundreds of bodies were stored in white and black body bags and coffins waiting to be identified, an AFP correspondent saw.

Dozens of relatives waited outside for news of their families as forensic personnel in blue uniforms examined the corpses.

"There were 11 people in my household; only two of us survived because we were at work," Wilker Molalla told AFP.

"My family is there -- I'm told my sister and her children are there, as well as the children of my brother."

US Marines meanwhile completed repairs to one of Venezuela's two main ports to allow delivery of supplies and equipment.

The port of La Guaira "is now operational, and the USS Fort Lauderdale is using the port to deliver critically needed supplies and equipment," a US military statement said, referring to a US warship dispatched to assist with aid efforts.

American airmen were also helping restore traffic at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas, which was also damaged in one of the worst quake disasters in Latin American history.

The airport had partially reopened to cargo and aid flights on Saturday.

The chances of finding anyone alive beneath meters of rubble have dwindled since the critical 72-hour window passed, but on Monday a 21-year-old identified as Aaron Levi was rescued in the nearby town of Tanaguarena, video of the complex operation to extract him showed.

National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez on Monday updated the official death toll to at least 1,719, while the UN country coordinator said the global body would provide Venezuela with 10,000 body bags.

"It's very sad, and we truly hope that actually the number is going to be smaller than that," Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro told a virtual news conference.

- US doubles aid -

Venezuelans are growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as the sluggish response of their US-backed government to the disaster.

Some 3,150 people were injured in Wednesday evening's 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes, which were also felt in neighboring Colombia. They were Venezuela's worst earthquakes in more than a century.

A strong aftershock Monday shortly after 7:00 am (1100 GMT) was measured by the US Geological Survey at magnitude 4.6, adding to fears for the safety of hundreds of buildings weakened by the tremors.

Twenty-seven countries have dispatched more than 40 search teams to Venezuela, Rampolla del Tindaro said Monday, adding that "at least 2500 structures were affected, most of which fully collapsed."

The United States, the main power broker in Venezuela since January when it overthrew longtime president Nicolas Maduro, on Monday doubled its previous aid pledge from $150 million to $300 million.

The few rescues have offered a glimmer of hope in a tragedy that has shaken a country mired in an economic crisis that has depleted its capacity to respond to disasters.

Luis Salas, 27, who joined the rescue efforts, told AFP that "the hardest part was when we felt hope in the tunnels we went into -- crawling, clearing debris, working with all our heart, with great faith -- and when we reached our targets, we found them lifeless."

- 'Put down your weapon' -

Even as rescue efforts continued, public anger has mounted in some areas.

Eduardo Cardozo, a volunteer in Tucacas, said it was "frustrating" to know that some victims could have been saved "if they'd been searched for in time."

On Sunday, a group of residents ordered a group of soldiers to pick up picks and shovels and join in the rescue efforts.

"The country needs you. Put down your weapon," one man ordered them.

Outbreaks of looting have hit La Guaira city, much of which now lies in rubble.

Pharmacies, supermarkets and other businesses were ransacked, said residents, some of whom complained of the slow and meager post-quake aid coming from authorities.

The government has said temporary camps were being set up for people who lost their homes.

The UN migration agency said that based on population and damage data, up to 6.76 million people could be affected, and would require shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare and essential relief items.

I.Matar--SF-PST