Woman survives building collapse in Venezuela, loses seven family members

In Venezuela, amidst the devastation of recent earthquakes that toppled buildings on June 24, Érika Fernández is left to navigate a profound personal tragedy. She survived the collapse of the Edificio Vallarta, but lost seven members of her family who were trapped inside the destroyed structure.

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Today when they showed me my son's ashes, I said, 'Why am I seeing him? He should be seeing me. The law of life says that: he should see me, not I my son.'

The victims include her son, José Antonio Castro; her husband; her mother; her sister; and two sisters-in-law. One of the sisters-in-law was Skarlent Rodríguez, a 23-year-old model and former Miss Grand Orlando winner in 2025.

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I heard a very loud noise and the walls started to fall. And a piece of roof fell on me, and it fell on my head and my back. I was left hunched over the little dog. The security guard managed to lift me, and I managed to get out. When I got out, I lay down outside and screamed for them to help my sister-in-law. At the same time, I heard the little girl suffering. It was very sad. 'Help me, help me, I'm going to die, I don't want to die,' it was my 13-year-old niece.

Fernández described the sudden and violent collapse, recalling the immense noise and falling debris. "A piece of roof fell on me, and it fell on my head and back," she recounted. She managed to escape, only to hear the cries of her 13-year-old niece trapped in the rubble, pleading, "Help me, help me, I'm going to die, I don't want to die."

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In my apartment was my mother; my sister was there; my brother-in-law; my husband and another girl. Very sad, very sad. Everything surpassed the word pain.

Érika has begun receiving the remains of some family members, including her son, husband, and one sister-in-law. However, she is still awaiting the recovery of her mother, sister, and the other brother-in-law. The emotional toll is immense, leaving her "emotionally devastated" by the simultaneous loss of so much of her closest circle. She is now faced with the daunting task of supporting her niece, the only surviving member of their immediate family, who remains hospitalized and requires ongoing medical care and financial assistance.

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That won't be erased from here. That is here. That will never be erased.