In brief
The twin earthquakes that struck La Guaira on 24 June left hundreds of apartment buildings flattened and countless families desperate to find missing relatives. Government figures report over 5,300 deaths, with estimates of those still gone reaching up to 50,000. A month after the blasts, BBC correspondent Will Grant returned to the region and witnessed families persistently examining the wreckage in hopes of locating remains.
The twin earthquakes that shook the coastal province of La Guaira on 24 June have left a trail of devastation, flattening apartment blocks and scattering the shreds of lives. Despite rescue teams and government officials reporting a death toll of more than 5,300, many families believe the true number of missing people could be as high as 50,000.
\BBC’s Latin America correspondent Will Grant first visited the towns in La Guaira in the immediate aftermath of the tremors. He returned a month later to find relatives still combing through rubble, holding onto hope that a body—a sign that a loved one survived—might emerge from the wreckage.
\The ongoing search underscores how the impact of natural disasters extends far beyond the initial shock, affecting communities for months as they cope with loss and uncertainty.
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