{"id":1185,"date":"2026-06-27T20:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T20:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1185"},"modified":"2026-06-27T20:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T20:06:38","slug":"as-survivors-are-pulled-from-rubble-of-venezuela-earthquakes-relatives-of-missing-hold-out-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1185","title":{"rendered":"As survivors are pulled from rubble of Venezuela earthquakes, relatives of missing hold out hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) \u2014 A bloody-faced Daniel Cordero emerged from the rubble of a fallen building in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, surrounded by rescue workers who helped him onto a stretcher as bystanders filmed the scene.<\/p>\n

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Three days after two earthquakes slammed Venezuela,<\/span> Cordero\u2019s rescue, which came Friday, and that of others are providing a jolt of optimism for those still hoping to find their loved ones among the ruins. <\/p>\n

It comes as the death toll rises from Wednesday\u2019s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes<\/span> and as many families confirm that mothers, fathers, siblings and children did not survive. At least 1,430 people have died, government officials said Saturday, a number that is expected to continue to grow. Thousands are injured and tens of thousands have been reported missing.<\/p>\n

The frantic searching continued Saturday \u2014 mostly by civilians, with a growing number of international rescue teams joining in the efforts. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours as crucial for retrieving people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.<\/p>\n

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\u2018We have seen way too much\u2019<\/h2>\n

As neighbors, friends and relatives worked under the scorching sun, some of their efforts were met with applause. A 4-year-old was saved. An elderly man with a black eye was greeted with applause after his rescue.<\/p>\n

But not all were so lucky.<\/p>\n

Daritza Polo, in La Guaira, received confirmation Friday her mother died in the quake. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have no words,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Misery has been abundant across La Guaira, among the areas hardest hit by the devastating earthquakes.<\/p>\n

Brother and sister Leyder Rojas and Leymar Rojas, 3 and 10, were pulled from the rubble wrapped in a sheet. Their mother cried out in anguish. As two other women tried to steady her, she fainted. The rescue continued as she lay on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s horrible, we have seen way too much,\u201d said the children\u2019s uncle, Ram\u00f3n Eduardo, fighting back tears. \u201cWe got one alive, thank God,\u201d he said, referring to their 4-year-old brother Adri\u00e1n. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut not all of them, we could not get them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Keeping hope as the search continues<\/h2>\n

For many, no news is good news.<\/p>\n

The building in La Guaira where Noribel Mendoza lived with her two sons, Andr\u00e9s David Molina Mendoza, 21, and \u00c1ngel Eduardo Molina Mendoza, 19, collapsed on Wednesday, and the family hasn\u2019t heard from them since.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe don\u2019t know if they were there, they weren\u2019t there, if they\u2019re in the hospital or a clinic, still nothing,\u201d said the boys\u2019 aunt \u00c1ngela Molina Castro, 30, by phone from Puerto P\u00edritu in Anzo\u00e1tegui State.<\/p>\n

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Another one of their aunts has been outside the building hoping for news, Molina Castro said, but said no rescue teams have come. Neighbors and friends have been trying to lift the debris, but sometimes it\u2019s too heavy.<\/p>\n

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