Deported Venezuelans survive major earthquakes in home country

A plane carrying 146 Venezuelan nationals deported from the United States landed in Venezuela on June 24, mere hours before the country was hit by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude. The deportees, including 19 women and seven children, were taken to a hotel in La Guaira, the capital of the state that suffered the most severe impact from the seismic events.

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We walked for about five kilometers, shouting and shouting... there was no communication.

Among those who arrived on the deportation flight was 58-year-old Lisbeth Portillo. She recounted her harrowing experience of being trapped in the rubble of the Santuario La Llanada hotel after the earthquakes struck. Portillo, along with approximately 20 other deportees, managed to escape the collapsed structure. "We walked for about five kilometers, shouting and shouting... there was no communication," she told AP in a phone interview.

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I was born again. God gave me a second chance.

After escaping the debris, Portillo and others eventually reached a National Guard building, which allowed them to contact their families. "I was born again. God gave me a second chance," Portillo stated, describing her ordeal. She had been seeking asylum in the U.S. after crossing the border from Mexico in November 2021. Her husband remains in the U.S., while her children are in Venezuela.

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Cesar, I'm alive. Help me.

Another survivor from the same deportation flight was 24-year-old Jenny Rodriguez. She also found herself trapped under the hotel's rubble but was aided in her escape by a fellow deportee. Official figures indicate that at least 1,700 people died as a result of the earthquakes, though a website tracking the disaster suggests the number may be higher.

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I was born on that day, the 24th. I was born again.