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While rescue teams work among the rubble left by the two earthquakes that shook Venezuela this Wednesday, thousands of families—both inside and outside the country—are desperately turning to social media to find their loved ones.
According to a compilation from the media Reporte Ya, the lack of news has created "a wave of anxiety" that spreads across digital platforms with photos, names, and contact numbers of individuals whose whereabouts are unknown.
The two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5, which occurred just 39 seconds apart on Wednesday at 6:04 p.m. local time, have resulted in an updated toll of 188 dead, 1,520 injured, and 157 confirmed missing, according to official figures reported this Thursday by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly.
The state La Guaira has been declared a disaster area and is home to the most severe damages, with more than 100 buildings collapsed.
Naiguatá, a coastal town in that state, repeatedly emerges as the last known location of several missing persons.
A friend posted on Instagram a photo of Josdaliz Navas with an urgent message: "My friend Josdaliz Navas is missing along with her family. If you know anything, please get in touch."
Another documented case is that of a young man whose sister is asking for help with equal desperation: "It's my brother, please help me spread the word, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Urgent dissemination!!!!!!!!" His last known location was also Naiguatá, and anyone with information can call the numbers 04124073740 or 04127842736.
A third case reveals the international dimension of the tragedy: someone who reached out from Chile —with the phone code +56— is looking for Oswaldo Rafael Reyes Santana and his caregiver Marienelly Padrón after confirming that the building where they lived "completely collapsed."
This detail illustrates how the Venezuelan diaspora, spread across countries like Chile, Colombia, Spain, and the United States, has turned to social media in response to the deterioration of telecommunications in Venezuela.
Amid the pain, there were also moments of hope: three brothers were rescued alive from the Mansión Charaima building in Caraballeda, where five of its eleven floors collapsed, and a baby was pulled out unharmed from the rubble by neighbors in a video that went viral worldwide.
In contrast, in Catia La Mar, a girl whose voice was heard among the rubble passed away before she could be rescued.
The double earthquake on Wednesday is regarded as the worst quake in Venezuela in over a century, and the U.S. Geological Survey estimated with a 42% probability that the final number of fatalities could be between 10,000 and 100,000, although it clarified that this is an automatic projection from its PAGER system, not a real count.
Reporte Ya announced that it will continue to publish the faces and information of missing persons sent by their followers, with the aim of assisting in their locations.
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