Yeison Lamus, 47, crossed half of Venezuela, traveling from the border state of Táchira to La Guaira, the epicenter of the devastation caused by last week's earthquakes, in search of his brother.
Jhonattan, 40, was one of the 146 migrants deported from the United States on the same day the powerful earthquakes struck. The group had been housed by the Venezuelan government in a facility that later collapsed. Yeison has not heard from his brother since that day. When he tried to reach the site on Wednesday (1), he was turned away.
Venezuela's intelligence agency, Sebin, has barred both journalists and victims' relatives from accessing the area where the deportees had been staying. The site was completely destroyed, and dozens of people remain trapped beneath the rubble.The Folha reporter was denied access to the site, located in a mountainous area of the coastal city of Macuto, in La Guaira state. The same happened to Yeison and his family, who were there. Similar accounts have been repeated by relatives of other deportees.
Sebin officers provided no explanation. In the background, a bulldozer stood idle among the debris; officers said it was broken. Venezuela's Communications Ministry, which has been handling requests from the international press during the disaster, did not respond to requests for comment.
