A devastating 'doublet' of powerful earthquakes has left Venezuela's Caribbean coast reeling, as survivors describe the brutal speed at which buildings crumbled to rubble. The tremors struck on Wednesday afternoon, with La Guaira – a port city surrounding Venezuela's main international airport – bearing the brunt of the destruction.
Ligia Level, 67, miraculously escaped her first-floor apartment in Residencias Villamar, breaking her foot as she jumped to safety. Her relatives, who lived in the same building and neighbouring condominium, Residencias Anna Mar, are feared to have perished. In a heart-wrenching appeal for international assistance, Level pleaded: "We absolutely need help here – anything, anyone we can get. We were not prepared for something like this."
Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, called the event an 'unprecedented seismic phenomenon', declaring La Guaira as the epicentre of the tragedy. Touring what she termed 'ground zero' on Thursday, Rodríguez lamented the "utter tragedy" and vowed to save as many lives as possible, confirming that international rescue teams were beginning their arrival.
Social media platforms have become a vital lifeline for families desperately searching for loved ones. Online appeals feature names and faces of those missing from areas like La Guaira, Catia La Mar, and Caraballeda. The missing include airline pilot Carlos Ravelo and the Bencomo family – Lonardys, Marysville, and Paola – who ran a local creche.
Medical centres in Caracas are inundated with relatives searching for news. David Guevara, outside the Domingo Luciani hospital, scanned patient lists for his aunts, Andrea Laya and Gabriela Fleritt, who lived in Residencias Las Palmas and have not been heard from. The patient lists reveal the multi-generational impact, detailing injured individuals ranging from four-year-olds to a 73-year-old, underscoring the widespread trauma and loss.
Meanwhile, reports suggest entire families – some with up to six members including young children – have disappeared in what is being described as Venezuela's worst earthquake since October 1900. With over 250 buildings destroyed, mostly in La Guaira, concerns are growing about the scale of the humanitarian crisis.