Months after Venezuela’s earthquakes, families cling to hope in search of loved ones
Families Search for Answers Months After Venezuela’s Earthquakes
Goldlaner.com – Months after Venezuela s earthquakes, families in La Guaira are still waiting for answers about relatives who disappeared beneath collapsed buildings. More than 100 days after the twin earthquakes of June 24, excavators continue working at destroyed housing complexes while loved ones remain close to the rubble.
At OPP 26, a government social-housing complex that collapsed in the disaster, Eilyn Solano has stayed in a tent near the ruins. Her 11-year-old son, Jhoniel José Morales, is still missing, and she follows each recovery effort from the site.
Officials announced a final death toll of 6,509 on August 24, two months after the earthquakes. No official number of missing people has been released, however, leaving residents to compile their own lists and organize searches with relatives, neighbors and volunteers.
A Family Follows Every Lead
The Solano family has recovered the remains of more than 17 people during its search, but has found no sign of Jhoniel. Initially, relatives considered the possibility that he had been at a nearby sports field when one of the towers collapsed.
A security-camera recording showed Jhoniel walking down the apartment stairs at 3:59 p.m. on June 24, several hours before the earthquakes. His 15-year-old sister, María Yailén, survived, while his 12-year-old sister, Mariangel, died in the collapse. Their grandmother, who had been caring for Mariangel, was pulled from the building alive hours later.
Crews searched around the sports field on September 26 but found no evidence of the boy. The excavation later uncovered the building’s security-camera control room, including a disk that the family says shows Jhoniel leaving the building minutes before the earthquake. That finding widened the search beyond OPP 26.
“Among all the possibilities there is a glimmer of hope, and that is why we continue the search until the end, until we obtain some kind of answer about the whereabouts of the child,” said Chiquinquirá, Eilyn’s sister.
Relatives have checked streets, aid collection points, medical facilities, morgues, shelters and cemeteries from La Guaira to Caracas. They have also searched La Esperanza cemetery in Catia la Mar, where unidentified people are buried in a designated area. Family members and volunteers use motorcycles to pursue possible leads.
Searches Continue at Collapsed Homes
Months after Venezuela s earthquakes, collapsed buildings across La Guaira remain a focal point for families seeking confirmation. Soldiers and cleanup crews are now working at some sites, but relatives say the search remains unfinished.
At the Residencias Caribe housing complex, families, firefighters and volunteers have posted names of people believed to remain beneath the concrete. The building’s flooded basement levels and damaged internal structure have made recovery efforts especially difficult.
Nayibe Geromes is searching for her mother, Leida Mata, after the two last spoke about six hours before the earthquakes. She has said she cannot accept a final conclusion without physical confirmation.
“Until there is a body, there is no death.”
Families have provided rescuers with water, ice and electrolyte drinks during long hours at the rubble sites. For many, continuing to search is both a practical effort to find loved ones and a refusal to let their names disappear.
FAQ: Searching for Missing Relatives in La Guaira
Where are families searching? Relatives have searched damaged housing complexes, nearby streets, aid sites, medical facilities, shelters, morgues and cemeteries in La Guaira and Caracas.
Why is recovery work difficult? Collapsed concrete, damaged building structures and flooded basement levels have complicated searches at some housing complexes.
How can people help families still searching? The Solano family has urged the public to share Jhoniel’s image and provide any information that could help establish his whereabouts.