Four Venezuelan Police Arrested for Looting After Deadly Earthquakes in La Guaira

Four Venezuelan police officers were arrested and face dismissal after being accused of looting money from the ruins of a building that collapsed during last week's devastating earthquakes. Local residents and national and international rescue teams continue searching for survivors following multiple tremors that killed nearly 2,000 people, injured over 10,000, and left tens of thousands missing. Angry locals attempted to stop investigators from taking a cash-filled safe from a destroyed building in the heavily affected state of La Guaira.

According to The Guardian, the four officers were suspended and disciplinary measures were initiated. Authorities stated that this group of police deviated from their duties and exploited rescue and humanitarian aid efforts by seizing valuables found among the rubble. Volunteers, many equipped only with basic tools like shovels and ropes, are doing their best to find survivors, while some Venezuelan military and police personnel reportedly loot, obstruct aid, and steal donations.

Tom Fletcher, head of the UN aid department, told AFP that more than 50,000 people remain missing after two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within one minute of each other last Wednesday, destroying buildings across the region. The confirmed death toll stands at approximately 1,800 people.