The Flight of Tragedy: Venezuelans Deported From the U.S. Were Trapped Beneath Earthquake Rubble

Venezuelans deported from the US trapped beneath rubble

Survivors describe abandonment

Families demand answers

A group of 146 Venezuelans deported from the United States returned home on the same day that two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela, turning what should have been a joyful family reunion into a tragedy marked by death, disappearances, and uncertainty.

Most of the deportees were taken to a government-run processing center in La Guaira to complete administrative procedures before being released.

Just hours later, the building collapsed during the earthquakes, leaving dozens trapped beneath the rubble.

The story has been reconstructed primarily through reporting by BBC Mundo, which interviewed survivors and relatives, and The New York Times, which documented additional eyewitness accounts.

An anticipated homecoming became a national tragedy for 147 deported Venezuelans

Flight 164 landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía on June 24 carrying 146 Venezuelans deported from the United States as part of repatriation flights conducted under the immigration policies of the Trump administration.

According to Venezuela’s government-run Mission Return to the Homeland program, the flight carried 120 men, 19 women, and seven children, who were welcomed by Venezuelan officials during a public reception documented in videos and social media posts.

After the reception, the deportees were taken to Hotel Santuario La Llanada in La Guaira, where they were expected to complete administrative, medical, and security procedures before reuniting with their families.

What no one anticipated was that only a few hours later, the hotel would be reduced to rubble after the twin earthquakes struck the state hardest hit by the disaster.

A missed phone call saved Orlando Torres’ life

Among the survivors is Orlando Torres, whose story was reconstructed by BBC Mundo through interviews with his relatives.

Torres was one of the last passengers to leave the plane and one of the last to arrive at the processing center.

Before entering the main building, he needed to complete one final step: making a phone call to his brother, who was supposed to officially receive him.

The call went unanswered.

That delay of just a few minutes changed Orlando Torres’ fate.

While waiting in a nearby building, the main hotel—where most of the deportees were staying—collapsed during the earthquakes.

Torres was thrown to the ground by the force of the shaking, protected himself by placing a chair over his head, and managed to escape from the secondary building.

When he looked toward the main hotel, he saw a devastating scene: many of his fellow deportees were buried beneath tons of concrete.

Survivors say they rescued one another

Accounts collected by BBC Mundo share one common theme: many survivors say the deported Venezuelans themselves began the rescue efforts.

Pedro—a pseudonym used to protect his identity—said he had already gone to his room when the earthquake struck.

He tried to run toward the stairs but became trapped.

«One leg was stretched out while the other knee was pressed against my chest. My head was against the floor, and there was an enormous weight on my back that caused unbearable pain. Many of us were piled together. We were screaming. It was completely dark, and we could feel dust entering our noses every time we breathed. It was a very difficult moment.»

While trapped beneath the rubble, he heard other victims saying they could no longer feel their legs or had suffered head injuries.

Eventually, he felt some of the weight being lifted.

Other deportees who had escaped were removing debris.

«I was able to move my leg. I thought it was broken. I pulled it to one side, stretched it out, turned onto my stomach, and crawled until I reached an opening where I could see daylight. The other guys saw me and pulled me out.»

«We rescued ourselves»

Ninoska Gutiérrez also became trapped after a wall collapsed onto her legs as she tried to escape.

«I was in shock. We had come from so far away, after everything we went through, after spending months detained, waiting so long for the deportation flight, finally arriving home only to face a tragedy like this… My God, this can’t be happening. After eight years away from my country, I thought I would be coming home to my family—not in a coffin.»

She said she gradually removed debris with her bare hands until she managed to free her legs.

She later found an opening in the rubble where another deportee helped pull her to safety.

«Anyone who got out did so on their own. We rescued ourselves because we wanted to survive—not because firefighters, civil defense, or Sebin came to help us. At least not while I was there.»

José Navas summarized the experience with a phrase repeated by many flight 164 survivors:

«We rescued ourselves.»

Survivors question the initial emergency response

Several survivors interviewed by BBC Mundo said they received virtually no outside assistance during the first hours after the collapse.

Some alleged that agents of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) prioritized rescuing government personnel before helping the deported Venezuelans, although BBC Mundo noted that it could not independently verify every claim.

According to the testimonies, the first small group of firefighters arrived approximately five hours after the collapse.

They initially focused on transporting injured survivors before beginning to remove debris in search of additional victims.

Relatives also reported that by the following morning, Sebin officers had restricted access to the hotel.

Families of the deported Venezuelans search hospitals and morgues for loved ones

As rescue operations continued, relatives from across Venezuela launched desperate searches.

José Rincón visited hospitals and examined more than 200 bodies while searching for his grandson Abelardo, who had lived in Atlanta for six years and whose wife is expecting their daughter.

«I’ll wait until the very end. Even if I have to take him home in a coffin, I’ll take something back with me.»

Paola Chacón, cousin of Darwin Eliécer Serrano López, pleaded with authorities to release the victims’ bodies.

«We want to bury our loved ones. Please help us. The decomposition is severe. We want their bodies returned so we can identify them and know with certainty that they are our relatives.»

Meanwhile, The New York Times documented cases such as Anyela Escandela Reyes, who had been preparing a surprise welcome-home celebration for her son, Arturo Alejandro Morales Escandela, after his deportation.

Her family searched hospitals for several days before identifying his remains by a tattoo.

«I was waiting to welcome him with a hug—not to say goodbye.»

Questions remain about the victims aboard Flight 164

So far, Venezuelan authorities have not publicly disclosed how many deportees died or exactly how many people were inside the building when it collapsed.

BBC Mundo reported that its requests for information from the Mission Return to the Homeland program and its director, Mervin Maldonado, had gone unanswered at the time of publication.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responding to questions from BBC Mundo, said only that the flight had arrived safely in Venezuela and that once passengers were no longer in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, responsibility no longer rested with the agency.

Meanwhile, families continue organizing through WhatsApp groups and social media to share information about the missing and demand answers regarding a tragedy that transformed a deportation flight into one of the most heartbreaking episodes of the earthquakes that devastated Venezuela.

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SOURCE: BBC Mundo / The New York Times