Venezuelans search filthy river for anything of value
Venezuelans scour polluted river for lost treasure, survival
By SCOTT SMITH, ASSOCIATED PRESS CARACAS, Venezuela — Jan 8, 2018, 12:01 AM ET
Angel Villanueva waded into the dirty brown water of the Guaire River, the putrid channel snaking through Venezuela's capital, where he hoped to scavenge for a bit of treasure.
He raked his hands across the bottom of the shallow waterway, turning his face away from the foul smell. Then he stood up, letting gravel and rocks fall through his fingers, scanning for an earring backing, lost rings or any other bits of precious metal to cash in for food.
Scavenging alongside two others, Villanueva, 26, kept an eye on the dark clouds buffeting the mountains that surround Caracas. They could burst at any time, leaving him minutes to get out — or be washed away to his death.
"Working in the Guaire isn't easy," he said, talking over the roar of traffic on a nearby highway. "When it provides, it provides. When it takes, it takes your life."
Images of poor Venezuelans eating from garbage piles in Caracas have come to symbolize the deepening economic crisis in what was once one of Latin America's wealthiest countries. Less visible are the young men and boys who comb the Guaire's dirty waters for any sliver of metal that might help feed their families.
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http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuelans-scour-polluted-river-lost-treasure-survival-52203651
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