Amateur Venezuelan rescue workers known as "moles" have been burrowing into collapsed buildings after twin earthquakes struck the country's northern coast on 24 June, searching for survivors and offering hope to families of the missing. The death toll has reached 3,342, and volunteers like Darwin Rodríguez, a 32-year-old motorbike mechanic nicknamed "Culebrita" (Little Snake), have traveled hundreds of kilometers to help.
Volunteer force descends on devastated region
Rodríguez and his team were trying to reach the first floor of Residencia Costa Brava, a 14-storey apartment building flattened by the quakes. "I'm not afraid – but you need to be brave to do this," Rodríguez said as he crawled through a mesh of concrete and steel. Another volunteer, Esnaider Meléndez, 35, left his wife and four children in Caracas to join the search. "This isn't about money. It's about saving lives," he said.
The term "topo" (mole) was coined in Mexico after the 1985 earthquake that killed over 20,000 people. That disaster spawned the Mexican Moles, a civilian search and rescue team that later aided in 9/11, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Now, Venezuela has its own moles, digging day and night with little more than hand tools.
Families cling to hope amid the rubble
Adolfo Guedes, whose daughter is buried under Costa Brava, wept as he thanked the moles. "I want you to tell this story so the world knows what we Venezuelans are made of," he said. The moles had traveled six hours from Poblado Uno by truck and motorbike. Before the quakes, they were cattle ranchers or farmers. "Now, they are moles. They've gone from being farmers to being moles because of the love they feel for my daughter," Guedes added. His wife Yaritza sat nearby with a drip in her arm, unable to eat.
Luzmar Olivares, whose husband Eduardo Rosal lived on the fifth floor, joined the effort. She had left home three hours before the first quake. "I think there's a chance [he's still alive] because there is a pretty big column here," she said, removing debris with her bare hands. The ruins were sprinkled with neighbors' belongings: pots of herbs, remote controls, Christmas ornaments, and rock LPs.
Moles dig 15-metre tunnel in Perlamar building
East of Costa Brava, another team of moles dug a 15-metre tunnel into Residencia Perlamar, a 10-storey building that keeled over, trapping two brothers, Jesús and Moisés, aged 15 and 20. Kevin Pérez, 21, a cousin of the siblings, said, "We don't have any training, but we are keen to help."
The work is dangerous. Last week, a searcher known as "El Topo de La Guaira" was reportedly detained after criticizing the government's slow response in a viral video, but was released after public outcry.
Government housing project OPPE 26 reduced to rubble
Nearby, the OPPE 26 housing project – 12-storey towers built under former president Hugo Chávez – was almost completely razed. Only two towers remained standing, one close to collapse. Dust-caked moles wriggled in and out of holes, climbing into fissures to carve tunnels. The scene resembled Sebastião Salgado's photographs of Brazil's Serra Pelada mining pits, with volunteers scrambling over mounds of rubble with torches and hand tools.
Yason Torres, 21, sat in the dirt searching for two uncles and a six-year-old cousin. "We need help, but the Venezuelan authorities aren't doing anything," he said. Family members hoisted themselves onto the dustheap, asking if loved ones had been found. One man sought his 29-year-old daughter and four grandchildren. Neimi Jáuregui, 54, looked for his sister and her four children, aged 10 to 17. "My heart is in pieces," he said. By his feet, decomposing bodies were doused in quicklime to mask the stench.
Bodies recovered as hopes fade
Two black body bags contained an 11-year-old girl, Sofía, and her 16-year-old brother, Samuel, found with their mother and grandmother. Grandfather Víctor Arangure dug them out with his hands. "We were the ones who found our dead. We received no help from the state at all," he said.
More than a week after the quakes, moles at Costa Brava were also finding bodies, including a three-year-old child. Rodríguez emerged after finding a man trapped between slabs. There was still no sign of Guedes's daughter. Group leader Silvio Sivira praised international search crews with dogs and technology but said volunteer moles could contribute with their hammers and hearts. "They are a bit more objective than us. [But] we are moved by feelings and by something that runs through our veins," he said.
