The harrowing stories behind Venezuela’s twin earthquakes continue to unfold. Over 100 people—recently deported from the United States and repatriated to Venezuela—were trapped beneath the rubble of a hotel where they had been taken upon arrival. Survivors’ accounts from the collapsed building in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit areas during the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes, are deeply chilling.
A Flight, a Hotel, and a Collapse
Just hours before the first tremor struck, a plane carrying 146 deportees—including 19 women and seven children—landed in Caracas. They were then transported to a hotel in La Guaira, a coastal city southeast of the capital and among the most severely affected zones. Among them was 58-year-old Lisbeth Portillo, who survived the collapse and later told the Associated Press: “I was reborn. God gave me a second chance.”
Portillo said around 20 deportees managed to escape the ruined hotel and walked roughly five kilometers seeking help. “We saw people running in panic—some barefoot, others half-dressed—all trying to flee the rubble,” she recalled. They eventually reached a National Guard facility, where they were able to call relatives.
From Florida Back to Venezuela
Portillo had spent four years in Florida before being returned to Venezuela under the Trump administration’s mass deportation program. Upon arrival, deportees underwent medical checks, received new identification documents, and were scheduled to return home the following day. She had been placed in a second-floor room with 16 other women.
“I stepped out onto the balcony for a moment and noticed the sky had darkened,” she said. “I went back inside, lay down—and suddenly everything began shaking. I heard a deafening noise and the women screaming for help.” Moments later, the second quake hit.
Trapped and Freed
“I collapsed with the building and was buried under a beam. The tremor itself shifted the debris, allowing me to free myself,” she explained, showing extensive wounds and bruises covering her body.
In the chaos, Portillo couldn’t recall her children’s phone numbers. She called her husband in the U.S., telling him, “César, I’m alive—help me.” He kept replying, “It can’t be.” She repeated, “I’m alive—I made it out of the rubble, I’m alive.” Her husband alerted their children, who connected with her by phone—and reunited with her the next evening.
“I was born that day. On the 24th, I was reborn,” she said.
Another Survivor’s Ordeal
Twenty-four-year-old Jenny Rodríguez described being buried alive. “I was trapped under the rubble. A fellow passenger from the same flight passed by. I managed to pull my hand free, grabbed his pant leg, and begged for help. Thank God, he did.”