Venezuela's Tragedy - Launched August 15, 2018 - Full multimedia experience: audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - Venezuela is rich in oil. It has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. But it is arguably precisely this wealth that is also at the root of many of its economic problems. The drop in oil prices has not just devastated the Venezuelan economy, it's causing an environmental crisis as well. An oil spill that happened in May still covers the shoreline of Lake Maracaibo. The oil wells have been abandoned, and production has slowed to a 13 year low. Which means little is being done to stop oil spills. Fishing is the main source of income for many people who live on the shores of the lake. The constant oil spills and leaks is damaging their livelihood, and 15,000 barrels of oil have spilled into the lake in the last two months alone. Fishermen resort to smuggling fish to sell in Colombia to earn enough to feed their families. Maracaibo is the second largest city of Venezuela and the lake contains one of the largest reserves of oil in the world. With its two million inhabitants, the city was built by the US at the start of the 20th century to help expand the oil industry. Up until 2013, Maracaibo was a rich city.
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May 24, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The banks of Lake Maracaibo near Lagunillas are devastated by oil spills, which in turn is killing the fish in the lake.
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May 21, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The fishermen on Lake Maracaibo see their situation becoming more and more dangerous, they are fishing with a looming threat from pirates and constantly dealing with corrupt policemen.
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May 23, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The situation is so bad that many people, including children, become prostitutes. Prostitution was well known in the country before the economic crisis, but the numbers have exploded in the last few years. Children at the city's main dump are known to prostitute themselves for money and even food.
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May 24, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The proven oil reserves in Venezuela are recognized as the largest in the world, with 297 billion barrels. The oil facilities of the national PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela SA) are numerous but also have technical problems, including regular oil spills and leaks.
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May 24, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - Maracaibo lake is totally dark with oil slicks in some places, especially around the town named Lagunillas. The oil spills extend over several kilometers with many underwater oil leaks.
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May 24, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - Near the Village of Ciudad Ojeda, the lake waters are contaminated and polluted by oil. The crab fishermen despair as the situation only worsens, the lake on which they have been sailing for years has become totally dark with oil. This fisherman just slipped his hands in the water before showing them black with crude from leaks ands spills.
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May 27, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - A patient rests in one of the city's dilapidated national hospitals, operating like many, without any medicine, water or energy.
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May 20, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - An empty polling station, at the end of the morning, under the watchful eyes of the military on the day of the presidential elections. This district is a PSUV party stronghold under to the Chavista cause. The National Bolivarian Armed Forces are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. As of 2018, the armed forces have 515,000 personnel.
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May 20, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The day of the presidential elections, in the district acquired to the 'Chavista' cause (PSUV Party). In May 2018, the 'Chavistas' won the elections. President Maduro hailed the 'impeccable electoral process' that had returned him to power with 67.7% of the vote. In Maracaibo, the Mayor Willy Casanova met the electors, despite the allegations of vote buying and electoral fraud.
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May 25, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - People wait in line to visit the bank. They come to withdraw cash or social aid. Each day they are entitled to only 20,000 bolivares in cash. A packet of pasta costs 2 million bolivares. People arrive at dawn and expect to wait for hours.
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May 25, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - A man is filling his car up with gasoline that costs 80 bolivares. A bottle of water can cost the same as 2 full tanks of gas. Currently 1 Euro is equal to 280,000 Bolivars.
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May 23, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - A security guard opens the secure door of a bank that has just been strafed. The country has become one of the most violent in the world. Escalating violence in Venezuela has resulted of the economic situation.
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May 22, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - Maracaibo is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. General view of typical austere buildings of the city.
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May 24, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The area around the Village of Ciudad Ojeda, with derelict oil refineries, is contaminated and polluted by oil in a disastrous way. The crab fishermen can only despair at the situation which only gets worse as spills continue. All the fish they catch is infected with by the crude oil. The lake on which they have been sailing for years has become totally dark with oil.
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May 23, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - This woman who cannot go to the hospital has cancer of the uterus, her family takes care of it as best they can, but she needs 2 million Bolivares for her medicines ( about 2 euros), which she does not have. Her situation without medicine is dire.
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May 30, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - Forced to smuggle their fish to sell in Colombia for better prices, the fishermen travel first across Lake Maracaibo to San Carlos by boat for an hour. A group of fishermen (forced to trade across borders because of the economic crisis) take tens of pounds of fish and shrimp that they will sell in Colombia.
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May 30, 2018 - San Carlos, Venezuela - A group of fishermen (forced to trade across borders because of the economic crisis) takes tens of pounds of fish and shrimp that they will sell in Colombia. At San Carlos, 2 women organize the money that will have to use to bribe the police, on their difficult and dangerous journey to Colombia.
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May 29, 2018 - San Carlos, Venezuela - A group of fishermen (forced to trade across borders because of the economic crisis) takes tens of pounds of fish and shrimp that they will sell in Colombia. At San Carlos, they unload the fish, and are joined by other fishermen of the region and will traffic the fish together into Colombia.
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May 21, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - A child holds a cardboard box full of local currency, containing about about 1 million bolivares, which is barely 1 euro. 1 euro or 1 dollar is trading around 2 million of bolivares. The lack of cash is a big problem for the locals.
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May 30, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - Near the Village of Ciudad Ojeda, the water of Lake Maracaibo is visibly black and is contaminated and polluted by oil spills. The lack of work on the oil infrastructures is creating a huge disaster on the lake. Oils spills are numerous and spreading.
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May 24, 2018 - Maracaibo, Venezuela - The Village of Ciudad Ojeda and surrounding area is contaminated and polluted by oil. The crab fishermen have to work with and sell seafood that is affected by the oil. Half of the local fishing industry has been destroyed by this disaster.
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