#alternate alternate 2 Desktop notifications are on | Turn off Get breaking news alerts from The Washington Post Turn on desktop notifications? Yes Not now It looks like you've previously blocked notifications. Please update your browser permissions to allow them. [notification_denied_v1.png] The Washington Post * ____________________ * Sections * * Sign In * Username * Subscribe ____________________ (BUTTON) * Accessibility for screenreader * Home Page U.S. & World | Regional * Politics + PowerPost + The Fix + White House + Courts and Law + Polling + Monkey Cage + Fact Checker + Post Politics Blog * Opinions + The Post's View + Toles Cartoons + Telnaes Animations + Local Opinions + Global Opinions + Letters to the Editor + Act Four + All Opinions Are Local + Book Party + Compost + Erik Wemple + Five Myths + In Theory + The Plum Line + PostEverything + PostPartisan + Rampage + Right Turn + The Watch + Volokh Conspiracy + The Missing Debate * Sports + Redskins + NFL + MLB + NBA + NHL + AllMetSports + Soccer + Boxing/MMA + College Sports + College Football + College Basketball + D.C. Sports Bog + Early Lead + Fancy Stats + Golf + Tennis + Fantasy Sports * Local + D.C. + Maryland + Virginia + Public Safety + Education + Obituaries + Transportation + Weather * National + Acts of Faith + Health and Science + National Security + Investigations + Morning Mix + Post Nation + True Crime + Obituaries * World + Africa + The Americas + Asia and Pacific + Europe + Middle East + National Security + WorldViews + Checkpoint * Business + Wonkblog + On Leadership + Personal Finance + Digger + Energy and Environment + Markets + On Small Business + World Business + Capital Business * Tech + Innovations + The Switch * Lifestyle + Arts and Entertainment + Advice + Carolyn Hax + Food + Travel + Wellness + Magazine + Home and Garden + Inspired Life + Fashion + KidsPost + On Parenting + Reliable Source + The Intersect + Solo-ish * Entertainment + Books + Comics + Comic Riffs + Going Out Guide + Horoscopes + Movies + Museums + Music + Puzzles and Games + Theater and Dance + TV + Restaurants + Bars & Clubs * Crosswords * Video + World + Top News + Entertainment + Local + Popular Video + Politics + Live + Sports + Opinions + National + Business + Technology + Style * Photography + In Sight * Washington Post Live + Events * Live Chats * Real Estate + Rentals + Where We Live + Recently Sold Homes * Cars * Jobs * Classifieds * Partners + Express + Parade * WP BrandStudio * washingtonpost.com * 1996-2017 The Washington Post * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Submissions and Discussion Policy * RSS Terms of Service * Ad Choices The Washington Post Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google Plus Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Tumblr Resize Text Print Article Comments The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set! ____________________ Sign up *Invalid email address Got it Got it WorldViews In Venezuela, life is undervalued, and death is overpriced The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set! ____________________ Sign up *Invalid email address Got it Got it By Mariana Zuñiga By Mariana Zuñiga June 14, 2016 [RTR3U3U8-1024x683.jpg&w=480] Workers carry a coffin at an undertaker's warehouse in Caracas in 2014. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters) CARACAS, Venezuela — “My brother was a decent man,” Julio Andrade said sadly, as he waited outside the Caracas morgue to receive his oldest sibling’s corpse. The body of his 55-year-old brother, Rubén Darío, had been found two days earlier on a highway outside the city, after he had been kidnapped and killed. But the family’s ordeal was not over. “Apart from the pain, we have to deal with the cost of burial services in a dreadful situation like this one,” Andrade said. In Venezuela, life is undervalued, and death is overpriced. According to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, a think tank that tracks crime, there were almost 28,000 homicides in the country in 2015, with 5,250 in the capital. Caracas is the most violent big city in the world, according to an annual study by a Mexican nongovernmental group, the Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. In a country where inflation is soaring toward 700 percent and the economy shrank 10 percent last year, citizens are struggling to pay for food, medicine and other necessities. With a scarcity of many goods and a shriveled national currency, everything has become more expensive. Burials are no exception. Opposition protesters in Caracas, Venezuela were met by police as they vented frustration about the economy and demanded a referendum to recall president Nicolas Maduro on May 18. (Reuters) Venezuela’s economy is heavily dependent on oil, and the country imports most goods. But with prices recently as low as $39 a barrel for domestic crude, there's not enough money available to import the raw materials needed to make caskets. The resulting shortage has driven up the price. “I just spent all my savings on this funeral,” Julian Hurtado said during his father’s wake at a funeral parlor in eastern Caracas. “I’m left without any money now.” To organize a decent wake and burial, a family needs at least 400,000 bolivars — roughly $400 at the black-market exchange rate, which reflects the price of goods for most Venezuelans. That might not seem expensive to Americans or Europeans, but it is an astronomical price in Venezuela, given that the monthly minimum wage is 15,000 bolivars, or about $15. Carlos, who works at a funeral parlor in eastern Caracas, said the price of a burial varied depending on the cemetery, with a public cemetery charging about 240,000 bolivars, or $240, while a private one might ask as much as 450,000 bolivars, or $450. In addition, he said, the wake could cost 215,000 bolivars, or about $215. He spoke on the condition that his last name not be used because he feared losing his job. Even inside the morgue, bodies have a price. It’s an open secret that workers take advantage of the situation at the Caracas morgue, which has been overwhelmed as the homicide rate has risen. Families can be charged a "fee" of up to 10,000 bolivars, or $10, to speed up the processing, according to Vanessa Mosquera, a former forensic dentist at the morgue. Officials at the morgue declined to comment. When told that it would take longer than expected for the morgue to process his brother’s body, Andrade exploded in frustration. “This is pure influence peddling,” he said. Because of the economic strains, some Venezuelans have decided to hold wakes at home. Rusbelys Hernández said that when her mother died, her uncle borrowed money for services. “Even after asking for money, we didn’t have enough to pay for a funeral parlor, so we did it here at home,” she said. Other people are choosing to just skip the wake. “The wake is very expensive,” said Esperanza, who runs a funeral parlor in Petare, a slum in eastern Caracas, and spoke on the condition that her last name not be used, fearing she could lose her job. “The casket alone costs 100,000 bolivars. This is why people are choosing to bury their family members without offering a wake.” She said that because of shortages, she no longer could obtain coffee, sugar or milk to offer to mourners during wakes. In El Cercado, one of the cheapest cemeteries in the city, burials are often delayed by three days because of the high demand and the lack of staff. Many businesses are struggling with shortages of personnel because employees choose to work in the informal economy rather than for a fixed salary, whose value is rapidly eaten up by inflation. The delays at the cemetery force funeral parlors to charge extra so that the remains can be maintained for several days without decomposing. “This adds to the total cost of the service, and customers complain,” Esperanza said. But she said her business is going through a tough time, too. It is operating at a loss because many people can’t pay their bills. “Once the body is buried, it is very difficult to receive the payment,” Esperanza said. “However, under these circumstances, there’s not much that we can say to our clients," she said. "We are living through difficult times.” world worldviews Get 2016 Olympics updates by email Our best news and analysis from Rio, delivered to your inbox. post_newsletter333 magnet-olympics2016 false endOfArticle false Please provide a valid email address. ____________________ (BUTTON) Sign up You’re all set! See all newsletters world worldviews Dallas shooting updates News and analysis on the deadliest day for police since 9/11. post_newsletter353 follow-dallas true after3th false Please provide a valid email address. ____________________ (BUTTON) Sign up You’re all set! See all newsletters Comments * Share on FacebookShare * Share on TwitterTweet * Share via Email Show Comments Discussion Policy 0 Comments SuperFan Badge SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams. More about badges | Request a badge Culture Connoisseur Badge Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment. More about badges | Request a badge Fact Checker Badge Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker. More about badges | Request a badge Washingtologist Badge Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area. More about badges | Request a badge Post Writer Badge This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer. Post Forum Badge Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs. More about badges | Request a badge Weather Watcher Badge Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts. More about badges | Request a badge World Watcher Badge World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs. More about badges | Request a badge Post Contributor Badge This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story. More about badges | Request a badge Post Recommended Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post. You must be logged in to report a comment. Sign in here You must be logged in to recommend a comment. Sign in here Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. All comments are posted in the All Comments tab. More about badges Get a badge To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in. Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. * Spam * Offensive * Disagree * Off-Topic Among the criteria for featured comments: likes by users, replies by users, previous history of valuable commenting, and selection by moderators. * + Facebook + Twitter + Reddit + StumbleUpon + Digg + Delicious Sign up for email updates from the "Confronting the Caliphate" series. You have signed up for the "Confronting the Caliphate" series. ____________________ Add ✕ Thank you for signing up You'll receive e-mail when new stories are published in this series. Most Read * 1 [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=60&h=60&filter=nearest&fmt= png] [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=138&h=92&filter=nearest&fmt =png] Dissent memo circulating in the State Department over Trump’s policy on refugees and immigrants * 2 [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=60&h=60&filter=nearest&fmt= png] [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=138&h=92&filter=nearest&fmt =png] Jihadist groups hail Trump’s travel ban as a victory * 3 [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=60&h=60&filter=nearest&fmt= png] [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=138&h=92&filter=nearest&fmt =png] Trump says Lockheed Martin has cut $600 million from F-35 program * 4 [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=60&h=60&filter=nearest&fmt= png] [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=138&h=92&filter=nearest&fmt =png] Officials worry that U.S counterterrorism defenses will be weakened by Trump actions * 5 [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=60&h=60&filter=nearest&fmt= png] [spacer.gif&op=resize&w=138&h=92&filter=nearest&fmt =png] Judge Thomas Hardiman has taken an unorthodox road to the federal bench Our Online Games Play right from this page Mahjongg Dimensions Strategy game Spider Solitaire Card game Mahjongg Candy Strategy game Word Wipe Word game world worldviews Success! Check your inbox for details. ____________________ Add Sign me up Please enter a valid email address You might also like: [X] [X] [X] (BUTTON) Sign Up (BUTTON) No Thanks See all newsletters * washingtonpost.com * © 1996-2017 The Washington Post * * Help and Contact Us * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Print Products Terms of Sale * Digital Products Terms of Sale * Submissions and Discussion Policy * RSS Terms of Service * Ad Choices Close video player Now Playing Read content from allstate Content from Allstate This content is paid for by an advertiser and published by WP BrandStudio. The Washington Post newsroom was not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more about WP BrandStudio. We went to the source. Here’s what matters to millennials. A state-by-state look at where Generation Y stands on the big issues. [p?c1=2&c2=3005617&cv=2.0&cj=1]