A Family's Unyielding Search for a Teenager Lost in Venezuela's Quakes
In quake-hit La Guaira, relatives of missing 18-year-old Andrés Molina continue a desperate, self-organized search, fueled by reported sightings and fading official help.
In the coastal city of La Guaira, ten weeks after two catastrophic earthquakes struck Venezuela, a family's desperate search continues. Antonella Molina, along with her nephew Pedro Gómez and a group of friends, recently spent a Saturday scouring the rubble-strewn streets, their hands filled with flyers bearing the face of 18-year-old Andrés Molina, who has been missing since the disaster on June 24.
The family's ordeal is compounded by tragedy. In the days following the quakes, they recovered the bodies of Andrés's mother and brother from the collapsed remains of their 10-story apartment building. The structure, which once housed over 30 people, yielded no trace of Andrés, not even his ever-present backpack.
Despite the grim circumstances, the family clings to hope, fueled by numerous reports from residents who claim to have seen the young man wandering the devastated area. "Of 100 people I have asked about him, 85 say they have seen him," Antonella said, describing him as disoriented, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. These accounts have led the family to believe he may have survived and is still nearby.
The official government tally lists 6,500 dead and 1,500 missing, figures that are widely questioned by those on the ground. With trust in authorities low, families like Andrés's have taken the search into their own hands. Their efforts have been bolstered by a tip from police the day before the search, who reported seeing him collecting scrap material.
Their search is a painstaking process of canvassing neighborhoods, questioning construction workers and residents, and following up on leads that often lead nowhere. A sighting at a nearby McDonald's was dismissed when the description didn't match. The family has also had to navigate a long-standing rift between Andrés's parents, though his father has joined the search.
Pedro Gómez, who lives six hours away, had reconnected with his cousin over WhatsApp before the quake and is determined to find him. The search is emotionally taxing, with Antonella finding torn flyers of her nephew, leading her to believe he might be the one tearing them down. The family says they will not stop looking until they know Andrés is safe.