Between Graves and Uncertainty: The Management of the Dead After Venezuela’s Earthquake

Venezuela’s northern coast is grappling with the aftermath of deadly earthquakes that struck in late June, leaving thousands dead and forcing authorities to manage mass burials under difficult circumstances. Satellite imagery and on-the-ground reports indicate that a site near La Esperanza, a town in the state of Vargas, has been used to bury unidentified victims in large trenches, raising questions about identification protocols and the handling of remains.

Geolocated footage shared on social media shows rows of coffins placed in newly dug trenches at a site extending over two hectares beside an existing cemetery in La Esperanza. A representative of Bellingcat’s Latin American reporting partners visited the location and observed ongoing work, with residents reporting that refrigerated trucks carrying multiple bodies arrived and departed throughout the day. While it remains unclear whether these burials correspond to the 150 unidentified bodies referenced in reports by AFP and Deutsche Welle on July 6—who described individual graves marked with numbered crosses and stones—satellite imagery confirms that the site has been altered since late June.

The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local morgues and forensic services. According to the BBC, some bodies were temporarily stored outdoors at a port facility in La Guaira due to a lack of space. The United Nations estimates that the death toll, currently placed at over 3,500, could rise to 10,000 as recovery efforts continue. Many of the recovered bodies have been unrecognizable, complicating efforts to identify and return them to families.

Oran Finegan, Director of Forensic Action International and former Head of Forensics for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), explained that while long trenches may be used in emergencies when individual burials are impractical, best practices require careful documentation. He emphasized that bodies should be mapped, separated, and assigned unique identifiers to enable future identification. Finegan also distinguished between temporary common graves, where bodies are held until identification, and clandestine mass graves, noting that there is no evidence of the latter in this case.

Local reports highlight additional challenges. A woman told the Venezuelan outlet RunRun.es that she was issued a tag and number for a body bag that did not match her relatives, later discovering that their remains had been misidentified and buried in Los Teques. Meanwhile, President Delcy Rodríguez has stated that authorities are using a forensic identification system involving fingerprints, photographs, and dental records, asserting that “no one will go to a mass grave.” However, Davenio Velásquez, President of the Venezuelan Professional Funeral Sector Association (Asoproinfu), noted that unidentified bodies are temporarily stored in 500 individual niches in Caracas and will be exhumed and cremated after six months if not identified.

Finegan criticized this timeline as impractical for a disaster of this magnitude, though he acknowledged the need to balance forensic standards with cultural and religious practices.

Bellingcat’s investigation confirmed the location of the burial site through multiple videos posted on social media. A Facebook video by Colombian outlet RTV shows a trench with several coffins, while an Instagram video by an independent creator depicts freshly dug graves. By comparing visual landmarks, such as a distinctive tree formation and surrounding hills, with satellite imagery and a 2024 video by Vargas Municipality Mayor José Manuel Suárez Maldonado, researchers verified that all footage was taken at the same plot near La Esperanza. Satellite images from June 25 show the area as green and vegetated, while images from June 27 reveal a newly cleared section of approximately 1.5 acres, consistent with the burial site described in subsequent reports.

The situation remains fluid as authorities continue to manage the dead amid ongoing recovery efforts. Questions persist about the adequacy of identification protocols and the long-term handling of remains in what has become one of Venezuela’s deadliest seismic events in decades.