Isolina Dávila, grandmother of Dayán Martínez, the 10-year-old Cuban boy who remains missing under the rubble of the Coral Beach building in Los Corales, La Guaira state, made a desperate plea on Monday for international rescue teams not to abandon the search for her grandson, as five days have passed since the devastating earthquakes that shook Venezuela on June 24.
"Now we have lost two granddaughters. Dayán is the only grandson we have left," she said tearfully in a video shared by Martí Noticias. The woman stated that she has not been able to sleep since the day of the tragedy and urged rescuers to keep working as long as there is a possibility of finding survivors.
The family has already suffered two irreparable losses. On June 27, the death of Vanessa Martínez and Ivanna Barreto, cousins of Dayán, was confirmed; they were also trapped after the collapse of the building where they lived. Vanessa's father is a Cuban doctor who completed an official mission in Venezuela and decided to stay in that country.
According to the grandmother, in recent hours several international brigades have attempted to gain access to the collapsed structure. She explained that a French team worked first, followed by American specialists, and later, the arrival of Salvadoran rescuers was anticipated.
According to his testimony, upon learning that the brigade from El Salvador had to wait until six in the morning to begin their work, President Nayib Bukele ordered that their transfer be expedited. The team arrived around three in the morning to assess the conditions of the building.
However, a magnitude 4.6 aftershock recorded this Monday forced operations to be suspended once again.
Maryerit Arcia, Dayán's aunt, noted that the American team had to temporarily withdraw for safety reasons.
"When they were about to enter to carry out the mission to rescue the children, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at that moment. They said that due to the safety protocols they have for their work, they cannot re-enter the area until three hours have passed, provided there is no further seismic activity," he explained.
Meanwhile, a group of Venezuelan rescuers concluded their efforts in the early morning, believing there were no longer any signs of life. Dayán's father publicly denounced that, at that moment, there was no personnel working in the building.
Despite this, the family holds on to hope after some rescuers reported hearing voices and footsteps of children beneath the rubble.
"Someone has to do it, please. They say they are alive. Five days have already passed. What more are they going to wait for?" the grandmother pleaded.
With evident desperation, the woman also warned about the worsening conditions inside the building.
"Those little ones are three children who are still alive there… it is even said that there are bodies that are already decomposed and that there is a foul smell. Those children, until when? They might possibly not even be alive anymore," she lamented.
The earthquakes of June 24, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurring just 39 seconds apart, are deemed by the United States Geological Survey to be the most intense recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
Until this Monday, the official tally reported 1,719 deceased and more than 5,034 injured. The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people remain missing throughout the country, while only 33 have been rescued alive since the emergency began.
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