Jenrry Mejia Escapes Collapsing Venezuela Hotel as Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 589

Q: A baseball star miraculously walked out of a collapsed hotel. Who were the hundreds of others trapped inside?

They were mainly relatives and staff connected to two Venezuelan baseball clubs staying at La Guaira’s Hotel Eduards when it collapsed: the Delfines de La Guaira and Guerreros de Lara. Reports say the hotel was housing families of players and team personnel. Among those reported missing were the wife and daughter of former MLB catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, the wife of former MLB outfielder Gorkys Hernández, and relatives of former minor leaguers Gersel Pitre and Harold Chirinos. Other accounts also said Alfonzo family members, including close relatives traveling with him, were unaccounted for after the collapse. Jenrry Mejia said he believes only he and an elderly man he helped escape survived from the building, though rescue crews were still searching the rubble and officials had not released a full occupant list. So while “hundreds” reflects the broader scale of people trapped across the earthquake zone, the identifiable group inside this hotel was primarily baseball families and team-associated guests. The wider disaster is far larger: by June 26, authorities had confirmed 589 deaths, more than 4,300 injuries, and thousands missing after the twin quakes devastated La Guaira, Caracas and surrounding areas.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 26

Jenrry Mejia said a malfunctioning elevator carried him to the Hotel Eduards lobby in La Guaira instead of the sixth floor, letting him exit moments before the building began to collapse.
Mejia told Dominican radio he then helped an older man out of the hotel and believes they may be the only two survivors, with others still trapped under the rubble.
Local reports cited by the New York Post said the hotel was housing families of the Delfines and Guerreros de Lara baseball teams, and relatives of former MLB players Eliezer Alfonso and Gorkys Hernández were missing.
Across Venezuela, two massive earthquakes have left 589 dead and thousands missing, while SOUTHCOM is supporting U.S. government relief operations.

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Fox News3h ago

Former Mets Pitcher Jenrry Mejia Escapes Collapsing Venezuela Hotel During Earthquakes Due to Elevator Malfunction

News182h ago

I Think It Was God': How An Elevator Ride Saved Baseball Player Mejia From Venezuela Earthquakes | World News - News18

AOL3h ago

Ex-Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia narrowly escapes death as Venezuela earthquake strikes hotel — thanks to elevator's 'divine intervention' - AOL

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A baseball star miraculously walked out of a collapsed hotel. Who were the hundreds of others trapped inside?

Why were Venezuela's cities so unprepared for an earthquake that experts had long predicted?

Can global aid navigate sanctions and a national crisis to save thousands still buried in the rubble?

Jenrry Mejia Escapes Collapsing Venezuela Hotel as Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 589

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