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🇫🇷 France /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuela earthquake: Child rescue rumors fuel false hope amid devastation

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Rumors of a child trapped alive in rubble after Venezuelan earthquakes have fueled false hope among residents of La Guaira.
  • Rescue teams, including American and Spanish specialists, have found no signs of life at the collapsed Tahití building, contradicting social media influencer claims.
  • Locals express anger at influencers for exploiting the families' grief with unverified reports and TikTok videos, while struggling to recover their own loved ones' bodies.

In the devastated Venezuelan state of La Guaira, the lingering hope of a child trapped alive in the rubble of the Tahití building has been cruelly dashed by unverified social media reports. The double earthquake on June 24 has claimed at least 2,645 lives, and the Tahití building in Caraballeda has become a focal point of both tragedy and misinformation.

There are people who came to make TikToks and it circulated around the world.

— José Francisco LiendoA neighbor expresses his dismay at how social media influencers have amplified unverified reports about a child trapped in the rubble, causing distress to grieving families.

What began as a rumor on Thursday, amplified by influencers posting videos on social media, ignited a desperate search. American teams with sensitive equipment and dogs, followed by a Spanish rescue unit, scoured the site. Their findings were grim: no signs of life. However, a Venezuelan volunteer insisted he heard cries, claiming the dogs couldn't detect the child because they were "too deep."

They play with the pain of families.

— José Francisco LiendoA local resident criticizes the spread of misinformation regarding a potential survivor, highlighting the emotional toll on those affected by the earthquake.

This conflicting information led to a media blackout around the site, with military personnel restricting access. The situation has incensed locals like José Francisco Liendo, 50, who has been tirelessly searching for his father and sister's bodies. "They play with the pain of families," he lamented, recounting how the rumors evolved from a "living child" to claims of "urination" and "kicking."

They said there was supposedly a child alive, that the child was breathing, then that he was urinating, then that he had kicked.

— José Francisco LiendoHe details the escalating and unverified claims circulating about a trapped child, which fueled false hope and frustration.

Aloa Gonzalez, 50, also keeps vigil near the ruins, hoping to retrieve her aunt and sister. She shares Liendo's frustration, condemning the "TikTokers" who have spread "false hopes" globally. The unverified reports, she says, are a painful distraction for those already enduring unimaginable loss.

No, I haven't seen him, but he's there.

— Unidentified personThis quote illustrates the persistent, yet unfounded, claims made by some individuals at the site, despite a lack of evidence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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