La Guaira, Venezuela, Jul 6 (EFE).- Long lines for food and medicine, increased heavy machinery for debris removal, and dwindling search-and-rescue operations were seen throughout Monday in La Guaira, Venezuela, the area hardest hit by a double earthquake 12 days ago that has so far left 3,342 dead and 16,740 injured. Most businesses remained closed on Monday, while hundreds gathered at distribution centers run by the Ministry of Mines and the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) to collect bags containing rice, tuna, and water. A state official, who requested anonymity, told EFE that they served 1,400 people on Sunday alone, and had already processed about 400 by Monday morning. Classes remain suspended, and telecommunications connectivity problems persist. The collection center also coordinates the deployment of machinery and workers from the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG), which is responsible for managing natural resources such as iron and bauxite. Throughout the hardest-hit areas of the region, such as Caraballeda, the presence of search-and-rescue teams has significantly diminished, while the number of Public Works Ministry employees and National Armed Forces (FANB) personnel deployed for debris removal has increased. Excavators are now being used to clear the remains of buildings that collapsed after the June 24 twin earthquakes (magnitude 7.2 and 7.5) although families have not lost hope of finding survivors, despite the fact that the last person was rescued on July 2. At the OPPE residential complex, one of the sites most affected by the earthquakes, the Mexican Search and Rescue team, which arrived in the South American country on Wednesday, remains on-site focusing its efforts. The more than 3,000 international rescuers coordinated by the UN began withdrawing over the weekend due to the low probability of finding survivors after so many days, though some teams have remained to assist with the recovery of bodies. «What I tell our Venezuelan brothers is not to lose faith. We are applying every necessary effort,» the president of the Mexican rescue group, Froylan Robles, told EFE. To date, they have recovered 30 bodies, which, in his view, provided some peace to the families who have remained camped outside the residential complex, waiting for news of their trapped relatives. Robles said they do not yet have a return date for Mexico, reiterating that they will continue to work side-by-side with the Venezuelan Army. At the complex, they have been divided into four specialized brigades equipped to clear debris and detect any signs of life, which fade further with each passing day. Meanwhile, a woman waits sitting outside one of these buildings, hoping to find her son, while complaining that she receives no information about the operations and is simply told to wait. Likewise, other families are attempting to recover some of their belongings left in their apartments. Since Friday, local authorities have taken over operations focused on body recovery, following the rescue efforts that were coordinated by the United Nations. (EFE) sc/dmv/mcd