Venezuelans collect scrap from quake-hit beach complex

Men are collecting scrap metal from the ruins of La Mar Suites, a three-building tourist complex in northern Venezuela that collapsed in the June 24 twin earthquakes. The complex, usually used by tourists visiting beaches, mangroves and wildlife near Morrocoy National Park, has become a rubble site where some residents are searching for material they can sell.

Twelve bodies were recovered from the wreckage of La Mar Suites after the quakes, which killed more than 5,000 people. The disaster struck on a Wednesday, and the report said casualties at the complex were lower than they could have been if the earthquakes had happened during a normally busy weekend.

Jose Luis Teras, 53, who usually works as a beach vendor selling food, said there was now no work and that collecting scrap was a way to survive. He said collectors sell iron, aluminum and copper to a scrap dealer, with a ton bringing $60 for three people.

Scrap collectors are not allowed to climb onto the collapsed building, but they can take metal and other materials from the edges of the rubble. At the site, mattresses had been cut open after being looted for hidden cash. The report said many Venezuelans keep dollars at home, often in mattresses, because they prefer the US currency to the local bolivar, whose value continues to fall.

On the beach, Luis Enrique Aranguru, 38, collected mussels and other shellfish to eat and picked up items including a plastic sandal and pieces of metal. Near the port, boat owner Luis Miguel Sanchez, 53, said many people had lost income because fewer tourists were coming, but added that visitors were beginning to return from several Venezuelan cities.