A family survived the collapse of the Litoral Suite hotel in La Guaira, Venezuela, during the devastating earthquakes of June 24, 2026 that struck the country with two consecutive tremors measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, just 39 seconds apart.
The testimony was shared by Sabrina, known on social media as @sabricg_, who recounted that her group was the only one to escape alive from the building after the collapse, which occurred when the hotel, located in front of Playa Grande in La Guaira, completely gave way to the force of the earthquakes.
"I still find it hard to believe, to process... we survived a major earthquake, but beyond that, we were the only survivors and we survived the hotel collapsing with us inside," Sabrina wrote in her post.
The woman described the moment of the collapse as an extreme experience: "In the midst of the collapse, the deafening noise and absolute panic, we stared death straight in the eyes."
According to her account, what prevented the last wall from crushing them was something she attributes to a divine intervention: "God has such a great purpose for us that the last wall that was about to collapse and crush us simply stopped; it didn't fall completely."
The Litoral Suite hotel was not the only establishment destroyed in the area. The luxurious Hotel Eduard's in Macuto also completely collapsed during the earthquakes. In that building were family members and loved ones of players from the baseball teams Guerreros de Lara and Delfines de La Guaira, including relatives of former players Gorkys Hernández and Eliezer Alfonzo.
The former baseball player Jenrry Mejía managed to escape alive from the Hotel Eduard's, although he lost all his belongings, including his passport, and helped with the evacuation of others. Mejía warned that there were still people missing under the debris of that building.
The coastal area of La Guaira has been declared a disaster zone, with over 100 buildings collapsed. The earthquakes, with their epicenter near Morón in the Yaracuy state, at just 13 km deep, are considered the most destructive in Venezuela since 1900.
Official figures report at least 1,450 confirmed deaths and more than 3,200 injured, while the UN estimates that over 50,000 people remain missing. Direct damages are estimated at 6.7 billion dollars, according to the United Nations Development Programme.
The United States Geological Survey issued a Red Alert —its highest level—and estimated a 42% probability that the final death toll could be between 10,000 and 100,000 people.
This Monday, a new aftershock with a magnitude of 4.6 was recorded with its epicenter 27 km north of Caraballeda, keeping the coastal population on alert, where rescue teams continue to work among the rubble.
"There are moments that mark a before and after, and this earthquake definitely changed our lives and those of many others," wrote Sabrina, summarizing in one sentence what thousands of survivors in Venezuela are facing after the country's worst seismic disaster in over a century.
Filed under: