Months after Venezuela earthquakes, a family refuses to give up search for their missing relative
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Antonella Molina, her nephew Pedro Molina and a group of friends set out at 8 a.m. on a recent Saturday, hands full of flyers, walking carefully through the rubble that…
Ten weeks ago, Venezuela was struck by two devastating earthquakes in quick succession, leaving thousands dead and countless others missing, far outnumbering the government's official death toll of 1,500. Among those who remain unaccounted for is 18-year-old Andrés Molina, the nephew of Antonella Molina and cousin of Pedro Gomez.
On a recent Saturday morning, Antonella and Pedro, along with a group of friends, embarked on a mission to search for Andrés amidst the rubble left in La Guaira, the coastal region north of the capital Caracas that bore the brunt of the earthquakes.
Antonella's search for her nephew began with her pulling the bodies of Andrés' mother and brother from their collapsed apartment building, a grim site that once housed over 30 people. Despite her efforts, no trace of Andrés has been found, not even his trusty backpack. Neighbors claim to have spotted Andrés wandering through the destruction, scavenging for scrap metal, offering the family a glimmer of hope that he may have survived the catastrophic events.
However, with little faith in the government's response, Antonella and her friends have taken it upon themselves to continue the search. "We've never had support from the government to help us find the people disappeared. Never," Antonella lamented. This family's determination and resilience in the face of adversity serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by those left to cope with the aftermath of natural disasters in Venezuela.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
