"When it seemed that it was calming down, everything has trembled again"

Barcelona"I was entering the house and I received a notification on my mobile warning of an earthquake. Immediately we started to feel the tremor. Glasses began to fall from the cabinets and books from the shelves, and we quickly went down to the street. When it seemed to be over, a second tremor shook everything again, even stronger. It was very distressing." This is how Marisol Tapia, a resident of Caracas, experienced the double earthquake that has shaken Venezuela. "My building seems to have suffered no damage, but the city is full of collapsed buildings," she tells ARA.

the double earthquake that has shaken Venezuela Marisol Tapia, a resident of Caracas. "My building seems to have suffered no damage, but the city is full of collapsed buildings," she tells ARA.

In La Guaira, the coastal state bordering Caracas, Amir, a 16-year-old boy, is one of the many who, trapped under the rubble, are fighting to stay alive. "I think I'm going to be disabled. Each moment [the building] weighs more," he tells Efe, while asking his neighbors to stay with him: "Don't leave, don't leave me alone." The double earthquake occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, local time. Just as Venezuelans were beginning to grasp the magnitude of the events, the darkness of night engulfed the country's streets, and emergency teams and organized neighbors had to carry out their tasks with flashlights and portable lamps. In addition to the ground operations, a website has been created specifically to report missing persons. So far, the website has accumulated over 10,000 cases where a friend or family member cannot be located.

a website created specifically to report missing persons. So far, the website has accumulated over 10,000 cases where a friend or family member cannot be located.

Amidst the tragedy, Tapia denounces that the information reaching the population is trickling in. "The government has only given generic messages, and it wasn't until many hours later that they started to specify some things." The uncertainty generated by the feeling of not knowing what was happening has been exacerbated for many Venezuelans by the ban on the social network X in the country. It was through this channel that most of the videos of the events and messages from people searching for friends and family have circulated. Some Venezuelans are used to using a VPN to bypass the block, but in the critical situation the country finds itself in, Chavismo has stopped blocking the application.

Go home or sleep on the street?

As the night advanced, those who could have returned to their homes, despite the fear of new aftershocks. "We are home, awake, nervous and attentive to what is happening. I am spending the night without sleeping, but some of my relatives have managed to rest for a while," Paulino del Rosario, a resident of the Guaicoco neighborhood, east of Caracas, explains to ARA. In his building, the earthquake has left several cracked walls, but now that a few hours have passed, he is confident that the aftershocks will not bring it down.

"Many people have found themselves in squares and open places where there is no risk of collapse or falling electricity poles or urban furniture," illustrates Del Rosario. He has been able to locate most of his friends and family, but explains that people around him who know people in La Guaira are having more difficulty contacting them. The interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, pointed out that this state, where Venezuela's most important airport is located, is one of the most affected by the earthquake. However, residents of the area report that rescue teams are scarce, and it is the population itself that is trying to find friends and family among the rubble.

Although there are more and more details about the earthquake's impact, uncertainty continues to reign among Venezuelans. The rescue of people and the search for survivors continue, given the fear that the official death toll will quickly rise when daylight comes. And meanwhile, a sense of despair invades the population: "After all we have suffered, now comes the earthquake? It can't be," laments Tapia.