Heartbreaking Update: Amaia Landaeta Found Dead After Days of Agonizing Search
Posted on 07/06/26 at 17:49
- Amaia Landaeta survived the Venezuela earthquake.
- She was found dead.
- Family demands answers.
The search for Amaia Landaeta Machado ended in the worst possible way for her family after the six-year-old girl, who had been rescued alive following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, was found dead in a temporary morgue set up in La Guaira state.
Amaia’s case drew widespread attention on social media and among human rights organizations after her family spent several days saying that no one could explain what had happened to her after she was transferred from a hospital.
Her death adds another tragic chapter to the disaster caused by the two powerful earthquakes that struck on June 24, an emergency that continues to affect thousands of Venezuelan families.
Amaia’s body was found in the very place officials said she was not
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Amaia Landaeta Machado, 6, was found dead on Friday, July 3, at the temporary morgue located at Los Silos del Puerto de La Guaira.
The information was confirmed by attorney and human rights advocate Gonzalo Himiob through a post on his X account.
«With great sadness, I inform you that six-year-old Amaia Landaeta Machado has been found dead by her family at the morgue located in the silos at the Port of La Guaira.»
According to information shared by her relatives, Amaia’s body was discovered at the very same medical complex where they had previously been told she was not located.
The news sparked widespread outrage among those who had followed the case since the family first publicly reported Amaia’s disappearance after she survived the earthquake.
So far, authorities have not explained how the child’s body ended up at the morgue or why her family was not notified sooner.
The lack of answers has intensified demands to determine exactly what happened during Amaia’s medical treatment and transfer.
#July3, 5:20 p.m. With great sadness, I inform you that six-year-old Amaia Landaeta Machado has been found dead by her family at the morgue located in the silos at the Port of La Guaira.
— Gonzalo Himiob S. (@HimiobSantome) July 3, 2026
Amaia Landaeta survived the earthquake but disappeared during a medical transfer
Amaia’s story deeply moved the country because she had initially survived the building collapse caused by the earthquakes.
According to her family, she was rescued alive in the Punta de Mulatos area shortly after the disaster.
She was then taken to Hospital de Pariata, where relatives said they last saw her before she was transferred unconscious to another location.
From that moment on, a desperate search began.
Her mother, Ana Cecilia Machado, searched hospitals, clinics, shelters, and emergency centers without receiving any information about her daughter’s whereabouts.
The family also circulated a missing-person flyer across social media in hopes of locating her.
The notice explained that Amaia was six years old and had been «rescued alive after the June 24 earthquake.»
Relatives also stressed that Ana Cecilia Machado was the only person authorized to take custody of the child.
Throughout the search, the family urged the public not to spread rumors and to share only verified information that could help locate Amaia.
After several days of uncertainty, however, the search ended with the discovery of the child’s body.
Venezuela’s disaster continues to claim more victims
Amaia had officially been listed among the people missing after the devastating earthquakes that struck La Guaira and other north-central regions of Venezuela.
Her case became one of the most widely followed because of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance after she had already been rescued alive.
Meanwhile, search and recovery operations continue among collapsed buildings.
National and international rescue teams remain deployed in the affected areas, searching for missing people and providing assistance to devastated communities.
According to the latest official figures, the earthquakes have left 2,645 people dead, 12,666 injured, and thousands displaced.
Emergency operations remain active as countless families continue searching for news of their loved ones.
Amaia Landaeta’s case now joins the growing list of victims of one of the most devastating natural disasters Venezuela has experienced in recent years.
Her story also leaves many unanswered questions about what happened in the hours following her rescue and how her transfer was handled within the emergency medical response system.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: The Flight of Tragedy: Venezuelans Deported From the U.S. Were Trapped Beneath Earthquake Rubble
SOURCE: Noticiero Digital / Univision
