DistantNews
Support us
Venezuelans Search for Loved Ones Amidst Rubble After Devastating Earthquakes
🇦🇷 Argentina /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuelans Search for Loved Ones Amidst Rubble After Devastating Earthquakes

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Desperate Venezuelans searched for loved ones in the rubble of a 22-story residential building in Caracas after powerful earthquakes struck the country.
  • Two strong tremors, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit Venezuela, causing widespread fear and damage, with residents hesitant to return home due to aftershocks.
  • The last comparable earthquake in Venezuela occurred in 1967, also heavily impacting the Los Palos Grandes area and resulting in 236 fatalities.

Screams of "Antonio, Antonio, it's your mom. Antonio, it's your mom, I'm here," echoed in Caracas as a desperate woman searched for her son amidst the debris of a 22-story residential tower. The building in the Los Palos Grandes neighborhood collapsed entirely following powerful earthquakes that shook Venezuela.

Antonio, Antonio, it's your mom. Antonio, it's your mom, I'm here.

— Desperate motherA woman cries out for her son amidst the rubble of a collapsed residential building in Caracas.

Neighbors stood by helplessly, some climbing the concrete slabs in a futile attempt to hear any sign of life. Silence was the only response. As night fell, an improvised volunteer requested flashlights, highlighting the urgent need for rescue equipment. Similar cries of "Tania, Tania" were heard near the Petunia residential complex.

Venezuela was struck by two strong, consecutive earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, around 6 p.m. Residents immediately fled to the streets, and many remained outside, fearing aftershocks. The tremors were felt across the country, from Trujillo state to La Guaira. The full extent of the damage and potential casualties are still unknown.

We need flashlights.

— Police officerA police officer requests essential equipment as night falls on the search and rescue efforts.

Venezuela experiences frequent tremors, but an earthquake of this magnitude had not occurred since 1967. That year, the Los Palos Grandes area was also the hardest hit, with entire buildings collapsing and a final death toll of 236. The current situation evokes painful memories of that disaster.

Everything started to move as if we were in water, like waves. It was horrible.

— Odalis EscalonaA bank employee describes the terrifying experience of the earthquake inside a shopping mall.

In a nearby shopping mall, Sambil, one of Caracas's largest, shocked shoppers evacuated to the street. "Everything started to move as if we were in water, like waves. It was horrible," described Odalis Escalona, a 54-year-old bank employee. Zenia González, 52, comforted a crying teenager, recounting how they fled down the escalators during the prolonged shaking. María Romero, a 48-year-old engineer, described her apartment shaking violently with a "deep roar" before she jumped over her apartment wall to escape, leaving behind cracked walls. Caracas faces significant destruction, and Maiquetía Airport, serving the capital, was closed due to severe damage.

It was shaking so much and sounded like a deep roar.

— María RomeroAn engineer recounts the intense shaking and sound during the earthquake as she fled her apartment.
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.

More Stories

From Our Blog