Argentine boy missing after Venezuela earthquakes found dead

Lucas Gámez, a nine-year-old Argentine boy, has been found dead among the rubble in La Guaira, Venezuela, two weeks after he went missing following earthquakes that struck the region on June 24. The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the discovery to EFE.

Gámez, whose parents are Venezuelan but who was born in Argentina, was located by Brazilian rescue teams working in the area where the building he was in collapsed during the seismic events. At the time of the earthquakes, the child was with his aunts, having spent the day at a beach in La Guaira.

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Lord Jesus, today we are not asking for a gift... we ask for a miracle. Give Lucas the opportunity to hug his mother again, to hear his name again, to open his eyes and celebrate life with those who love him with all their heart.

Intense search efforts involving rescue teams from various countries, including Argentine specialists, had been underway since his disappearance. Lucas would have celebrated his ninth birthday on Monday, a day his mother, Blancalida Martínez Coronado, marked by approaching the collapsed building with a chocolate cake and a candle, expressing her enduring hope to reunite with him.

The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, severely impacted La Guaira, a coastal state near Caracas. Official figures indicate at least 3,685 fatalities and over 16,700 injuries. Argentina's government dispatched a consular mission to assist its citizens affected by the disaster, as the country does not maintain diplomatic representation in Venezuela.

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The team can detect the size of the person and it is a child. Lucas's cell phone was also located at that distance.