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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuelans still search for loved ones in rubble a month after earthquakes

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Over 5,300 people have died and thousands remain missing following two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela's coast a month ago.
  • Survivors and victims' families are searching for loved ones among the debris, with many questioning the structural integrity of collapsed housing complexes.
  • The earthquakes devastated the coastal town of Caraballeda, leaving many families displaced and grappling with immense loss and anger.

A month after two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela's coast, the search for loved ones continues amidst widespread destruction and growing anger. Víctor Calderón, a 49-year-old fisherman, lost 26 family members when the building he lived in with his family collapsed. He remains stoic, vowing not to cry until he finds all of them. His family, now greatly reduced, lives in a tent on a golf course.

I have lost 26 family members and I will not cry until I find the remains of all of them.

— Víctor CalderónCalderón, a survivor of the Venezuelan earthquakes, expresses his determination to find all his missing relatives before allowing himself to grieve.

The earthquakes, which struck the northern coast of Venezuela, have claimed over 5,300 lives, with tens of thousands still missing. In Caraballeda, the epicenter of the tragedy, rescue efforts persist. Three bodies, including that of an 11-year-old girl, were recovered from the rubble at the OPPE 26 housing complex at sunset, allowing her grieving father to finally mourn.

It is terrible, terrible.

— Víctor CalderónCalderón struggles to articulate the magnitude of his loss after the earthquakes.

Survivors and families of victims are not only dealing with devastating loss but also with a growing sense of anger towards the authorities. Questions are being raised about the structural integrity of the collapsed buildings, with many suspecting negligence due to faulty construction plans, cost-cutting, or inadequate materials. The minister was approached with these questions, but the article does not detail his response.

This is heartbreaking.

— Magin HernándezA member of a search team describes the emotional toll of the recovery efforts for rescuers, families, and friends.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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