100-Plus US Deportees Survive La Guaira Hotel Collapse After 7.2 and 7.5 Quakes
Updated
Updated · India Today · Jun 29
100-Plus US Deportees Survive La Guaira Hotel Collapse After 7.2 and 7.5 Quakes
3 articles · Updated · India Today · Jun 29
Summary
More than 100 Venezuelans deported from the United States survived when the Hotel Santuario La Llanada in La Guaira collapsed hours after their flight from Miami landed in Caracas.
A plane carrying 146 deportees — including 19 women and seven children — arrived Wednesday, and survivors said they were undergoing medical checks and receiving documents before the twin earthquakes hit.
Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she crawled out from under a beam with about 20 others and walked roughly five kilometres to a National Guard post to call relatives after communications failed.
Jenny Rodriguez also said she was trapped under rubble and freed by another deportee, while Liliana Rojas said she still could not locate her deported partner after getting no clear answers.
The collapse tied the Trump administration's resumed deportation pipeline to Venezuela — 12 flights in May after flights restarted in February 2025 — to a disaster that the Venezuelan government says killed more than 1,700 people.
Deported into a disaster zone, who is accountable for the 100 missing Venezuelans?
Could a policy change have saved the Venezuelans deported just before the deadly earthquake?
Does this tragedy reveal critical flaws in U.S. deportation safety protocols?
Venezuela’s 2026 La Guaira Disaster: Earthquake Impact, Deportee Crisis, and International Response
Overview
Between June 24 and 29, 2026, La Guaira was devastated by a major catastrophe, plunging the region into a struggle for survival and urgent recovery. In the immediate aftermath, rescue operations raced against time, with the critical 72-hour window for finding trapped victims passing on June 26. Despite this, a few rescues brought hope, as experts noted that access to food and water could help some survive longer under rubble. A massive mobilization of local and international teams, led by the United Nations and the Venezuelan government, focused on delivering emergency healthcare, shelter, and essential supplies to those affected.