Deadly Venezuela earthquakes leave families separated as flights are cancelled

As rescue crews search for survivors following two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela overnight on Wednesday, members of Canada’s Venezuelan community say they’re relieved loved ones are safe, but worried about what comes next.

At least 188 people have died and hundreds more have been injured after 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck parts of the country, causing widespread damage in some of the most densely populated areas.

Luis Hernandez, owner of a Venezuelan café called Pomarosa in Toronto, said his first concern was reaching family members back home.

“It was a big surprise. I was very concerned because I have family living in Venezuela,” Hernandez said. “The first thing I did was try contacting them.”

Hernandez said roughly 10 relatives, including six of his siblings live in Caracas.

Even though they are unharmed, he worries the true scale of the disaster may not yet be known.

“It could be thousands of people that we don’t even know about yet,” he said.

Hernandez added that many Venezuelans have a hard time relying on official government information.

“The only way to communicate with people is using social media, relatives and friends telling us what’s happening,” he said.

“Today half of our customers are asking us, ‘Is everything OK? Is your family OK?'”

0:55 Venezuela earthquake: Travellers flee Maiquetia airport as ceiling collapses

For café employee Jennyfer Chirinos, the earthquakes strike especially close to home.

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Her mother arrived in Caracas on Tuesday — just one day before the quakes hit.

“We are happy she got there safe,” Chirinos said. “All my family is living there and right now they are OK.”

Chirinos said she was shocked by the disaster and worried about how damaged infrastructure could affect travel.

“My father was supposed to come tomorrow, but the flight was cancelled,” she said. “For now, he needs to stay there because there is no option to come.”

She said family members are now waiting for authorities to provide more information about conditions on the ground.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations are also preparing for what could be a lengthy recovery effort.

Emergency responders in Venezuela are focused on search-and-rescue operations, medical care and transporting injured people to hospitals, said Kelsey Lemon, vice-president of international cooperation with the Canadian Red Cross.

“Last night there were two devastating earthquakes in one of the most populated areas of Venezuela,” Lemon said in an interview with Global News.

The organization is working with teams on the ground to determine what support is needed and how Canada can help, she added.

“We say the first 24-48 hours is search and rescue, then after that is finding shelter, food, water.”

Among the supplies ready to be deployed are hygiene kits, solar lights and other emergency essentials. The Red Cross is also preparing personnel who could be sent to assist.

“We expect a long road to recovery,” Lemon added.

Authorities said rescue efforts remain underway in some of the hardest-hit areas, where buildings collapsed and people are believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Mark Carney offered his “sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were lost.

“My thoughts are with everyone who has been injured or displaced and with the first responders working tirelessly to save lives.”

Video shared online appeared to show dozens of people, some lying on the ground and others on hospital beds, being treated outside a hospital in La Guaira.

– With files from The Canadian Press