Vanessa SilvaLa Guaira28 June 2026, 04:06 BSTUpdated 47 minutes agoOn the day that two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, Andreina Valerio rushed back from work to look for her almost two-year-old son, Santiago.He was with Andreina’s partner, Ramsés Mendoza, at her in-laws’ home in La Guaira.When she got there, she found the building in ruins. Her brother-in-law Samuel Mendoza was looking through the pile of rubble that used to be their apartment block. When I met Andreina outside a crumbling building on Saturday, she told me her son and partner were still trapped inside, along with her partner’s mother, father, grandparents and sister. But she had not given up hope. Andreina and Samuel told me there were other children trapped in the building, too – a nine-year-old boy named Lucas and a three-year-old girl named Aranza.Rescue teams from El Salvador and Spain arrived at the scene on Saturday, but were unable to get inside. No one had been rescued from the building by that point.The first morning after the earthquakes, Samuel said he “heard a woman’s voice, someone whose voice I couldn’t understand at first, and the only word was ‘help’.”The next day, when Andreina went back, she heard a baby crying.”I still have faith my son is alive,” she said. “I have faith that it’s my son. And I know my son will get through this, as will his family.”Andreina and Samuel are two of many Venezuelans searching for loved ones in the rubble, holding out hope that they can be rescued after two massive earthquakes levelled hundreds of buildings across the country.Families are digging in the rubble with their bare hands in La Guaira, the coastal region which is one of the areas most badly affected.Those I spoke to were sleep deprived, their voices hoarse from screaming for survivors.As the hours passed on Friday, neighbours started to help, and people from other parts of Venezuela arrived to provide support.Rescue teams are working hard across the country, but it seems Venezuela is unprepared to handle the earthquakes – and this is a country that has dealt with extreme crises for years.ReutersWhen I arrived at the Hotel Edward, I could smell the death. You could feel that it would get worse over time. It seemed impossible that people would survive for long.I saw more than 50 damaged buildings in the town of La Guaira. Official figures show more than 1,400 structures have been affected in the region.Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, says the earthquakes are “the most disastrous event this republic has suffered in the last 123 years”. The official death toll for the country has risen to 1,430, with 3,238 injured. But with tens of thousands still reported missing, emergency services are working around the clock to find survivors.Several police and military officers could be seen on the streets of La Guaira. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has said 14,000 were sent to the state, which she says has been “militarised” for safety.At first, I could see just one small tractor on the street. Heavy machinery later appeared after what must have been a difficult journey via a small, broken road.As the hours passed, some told the screaming families to be quiet, but their pleas were drowned out by the crowds and motorcycles.Volunteers handed out medicine to anyone who needed it, and clothes were left in piles on the ground in the hopes they would be given to people in need.ReutersAt night, the situation in La Guaira became more desperate. Bodies were carried out by volunteers without specialised equipment, being hauled into cars and vans.Ambulances were unable to get into the town, and our driver Leo saw injured people being driven away on the …
