Deported Venezuelans Vanish After Quake Destroys Hotel!
Deported Venezuelans Vanish After Quake Destroys Hotel!
Tragedy strikes as over 100 recently deported Venezuelans go missing after a devastating earthquake collapses their hotel in La Guaira. Survivors recount harrowing escapes.
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Venezuela following powerful earthquakes that have left more than 100 recently deported individuals missing. These Venezuelans, who had just arrived back in their home country on a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flight, were staying in a hotel in La Guaira when the twin quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes, struck.
The deportation flight from Miami had landed hours before Wednesday’s seismic events, carrying 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children. They were subsequently transported to a hotel in La Guaira, a coastal region that bore the brunt of the disaster.
Among the survivors is 58-year-old Lisbeth Portillo, who vividly recounted her harrowing escape. She managed to flee the collapsing hotel with approximately 20 other deportees. “We walked about five kilometers, and I cried and cried … there was no communication,” Portillo shared, describing a scene of chaos with people running, some naked and others barefoot, emerging from the rubble. After a desperate trek, they reached a national guard building, finally able to contact their relatives.
“I was born again; God gave me a second chance,” Portillo expressed, though she admits, “I am traumatized.” The Venezuelan government has reported a grim toll, with over 1,700 people confirmed dead across the affected regions. In the aftermath, desperate residents, along with emergency services, are using whatever tools they can find—crowbars, pickaxes, and even their bare hands—to search for survivors buried beneath the debris. The fate of many of the deported individuals remains uncertain, adding a heartbreaking layer to an already devastating natural calamity.
