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Families' desperation grows in Venezuela amid earthquake, with thousands missing and information scarce
🇦🇷 Argentina /Disasters & Emergencies

Families' desperation grows in Venezuela amid earthquake, with thousands missing and information scarce

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Families in Venezuela are desperately searching for loved ones missing after powerful earthquakes, using social media due to communication outages.
  • Independent online records show over 50,000 people missing, far exceeding the official government count.
  • Rescuers are working against time, but communication restrictions and damaged infrastructure are hindering efforts.

A growing sense of desperation is gripping Venezuela as families struggle to find information about thousands of people missing in the wake of two powerful earthquakes. With communications severely disrupted, social media platforms and independent online records have become crucial tools for those searching for their loved ones.

Images of missing family members, shared across WhatsApp, Facebook, and X, paint a grim picture of the unfolding crisis. Independent online records documenting over 50,000 missing individuals far surpass the official government figures, highlighting the scale of the disaster. Families like Vanesa Marcano's, who posted photos from Madrid of her aunt and uncle missing in the heavily damaged La Guaira state, express profound feelings of helplessness and insecurity.

"You feel powerless and insecure," Marcano said by phone. "I know you have to stay calm and focus on the actions you can take, but it's so easy to fall into despair." Her uncle's daughter and 7-year-old grandson, visiting from the United States, are also among the missing.

You feel powerless and insecure. I know you have to stay calm and focus on the actions you can take, but it's so easy to fall into despair.

— Vanesa MarcanoA Venezuelan woman in Madrid describes her feelings while searching for her missing aunt and uncle after the earthquakes.

Rescuers continue to search through the rubble of collapsed buildings, with some survivors being pulled out alive, offering a glimmer of hope. Jhoyser Concalves described the harrowing experience of searching for his partner and her daughter after losing contact just minutes before the tremors. He posted a "Missing" flyer online, clinging to the hope that they are still alive amidst the debris.

However, the search efforts are complicated by government restrictions on social media and messaging platforms. The UN Human Rights Mission in Venezuela issued a statement on Thursday, expressing concern over the situation and the challenges faced in accessing information and coordinating rescue operations.

Today they are pulling people out of the building alive. So I still have hope that they are still there alive.

— Ariana CubillosA Venezuelan man expresses hope while searching for his missing partner and her daughter in the earthquake-devastated Catia La Mar.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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