“Antonio, it’s your mother. I’m right here,” a woman cried out in desperation, her voice echoing through the rubble of a 22-story residential building in Caracas that collapsed after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday.
Neighbors stood by helplessly as one person climbed over the debris, calling out for any sign of life but receiving only silence in return.
“We need flashlights,” one volunteer said as residents formed a small search effort, joined by a single police officer while they waited for rescue teams to arrive.
“Tania, Tania,” another voice called into the wreckage at the Petunia residential complex in Los Palos Grandes, a normally lively upscale neighborhood known for its restaurants and cafes, now reduced to silence and dust.
One man wept quietly in the street.
