Italian Family Missing in Venezuela Earthquake; Hometown Recalls 1980 Tragedy

An Italian family of three is officially listed as missing in Caracas, Venezuela, after a powerful earthquake caused their apartment building to collapse. Enzo Cuomo, 63, his wife Trini Adrian, 53, and their daughter Isabella, 22, are unaccounted for amidst the ongoing rescue efforts in the Los Palos Grandes neighborhood.

The family hails from Laviano, a small town in southern Italy's Salerno province, where news of their plight is being followed with deep concern. The situation has stirred painful memories in Laviano, as Enzo Cuomo's maternal grandparents, Filomena Piserchia and Gerardo Nicola Cicoria, perished in their home during the devastating 1980 Irpinia earthquake. That seismic event nearly leveled Laviano, claiming 303 lives and leaving deep scars on the community.

Adding to the anxiety, Francesco, Enzo Cuomo's cousin who also lives in Laviano, has been unable to contact other relatives in Caracas since Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Carlos Francisco Cuomo, Enzo and Trini's son and Isabella's brother, who is in Italy recovering from a bone marrow transplant, has appealed to rescuers to continue searching for his family. He traveled to Caracas from Italy to be closer to the situation.

The mayor of Laviano, Piero Robertiello, expressed the community's apprehension, stating, "These are hours of concern for our community, awaiting news on the fate of the Cuomo family. The entire town is anxiously following the developments and hopes for positive news soon." Rescue operations continue relentlessly among the rubble.

“

These are hours of concern for our community, awaiting news on the fate of the Cuomo family. The entire town is anxiously following the developments and hopes for positive news soon.