More than 100 Venezuelans who were recently deported from the United States are among the missing after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, triggering a large-scale search operation for survivors and victims trapped beneath collapsed structures. The deportees had arrived in Venezuela just hours before Wednesday's earthquakes and were taken to a hotel in La Guaira, one of the areas worst affected by the disaster.
Deportees Trapped in Collapsed Hotel
According to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First that tracks deportation flights, the group included 146 Venezuelan nationals—among them 19 women and seven children—who were flown from Miami. The hotel where they were housed collapsed during the quakes, leaving many trapped.
One survivor, 58-year-old Lisbeth Portillo, recounted her escape from the damaged hotel with about 20 other deportees. She described the chaos that followed as residents fled damaged buildings in panic. "We walked about five kilometres, and I cried and cried … there was no communication," Portillo said in a phone interview from her home in Maracaibo.
Survivor Recounts Ordeal
Portillo said the group eventually reached a National Guard facility, where they were able to contact their families. "I was born again; God gave me a second chance," she said. "I am traumatised." Her account highlights the desperate situation faced by many deportees who had only just returned to Venezuela when disaster struck.
Rescue Efforts Continue After Deadly Quakes
The earthquakes, recorded at magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, caused widespread destruction across affected areas, with La Guaira among the hardest-hit locations. The Venezuelan government has reported that more than 1,700 people were killed following the disaster. Authorities and rescue teams continue efforts to locate missing persons and recover those affected by the collapse of buildings, including the hotel where the deportees were being held.
