On the morning of 30 June, two powerful earthquakes struck the coastal region of La Guaira, killing an estimated 1,700 people and collapsing several high‑rise residential blocks. Rescue teams from Venezuela, Colombia and the United States arrived at the site after a delay of nearly two days, according to witnesses. The rapid build‑up of rubble left families searching for their loved ones in a silence that stretched beyond the initial shaking, with rescue workers reporting little to no response from local police or the national emergency services.
Miguel Oscar Nunez, whose son was trapped in a derelict building, expressed anger over the scarcity of resources. "We have no machines, no rescuers, no equipment – it feels like we’re left on our own," he said. "If the authorities had acted quickly, my son might still be alive. The delay could have led to further casualties.”
Kevin Montilla, another resident of the collapsed building, described the chaos: "Because the rescue operation began very late, it was slow. Early on, only local volunteers showed up; the police came to check but did not help. The government’s response has been frustrating and impotent."
Locally, the situation was dire. Two high‑rise apartment blocks in the Bello Horizonte complex collapsed into a pile of concrete. Local families and volunteers equipped with spades and crowbars attempted to dig through the wreckage. Even as international teams arrived with cranes and other heavy machinery, thousands of residents felt that the majority of the region had been ignored; search teams were reported to have missed large swaths of the town.
Deilisbeth Herreira, a single mother whose 12‑ and 13‑year‑old daughters were at home during the quake, said at a hospital: "I have no help from anyone. No machines or rescuers to dig through the rubble. It feels like we’re stranded trying to find our loved ones.”
In contrast to the slow official response, residents such as William Rodrigues and his uncle Juan Avendo took matters into their own hands. "We heard the screams and had to act ourselves. From the next morning we tried to locate survivors,” Rodrigues recalled. The rescue teams that finally arrived consisted of Venezuelan firefighters and volunteers from neighboring countries, yet by the end of the Sunday operation, the search was declared over, leaving many families uncertain of the fate of their relatives.
The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, called the earthquakes the “most brutal natural catastrophe” the country has faced. However, the practical support from the state has been disputed, with many families claiming they were left to fend for themselves for days.
