It was evident that a significant catastrophe had hit the port town of La Guaira. When I arrived to assess the situation after the consecutive earthquakes struck Venezuela last week, I was met with a massive pile of debris where residential apartments once stood.

A volunteer rescuer informed me, This is just the first mountain. There is more. The destruction was extensive, with the terrain completely leveled, making it difficult to find an overview. Drone images received days later offered a limited understanding of the situation.

OPPE 26, a public housing project constructed years ago during Hugo Chávez’s administration, became central to the disaster. Many residents had relocated there after losing their homes in the catastrophic mudslides of 1999. La Guaira is now considered to have suffered the most severe damage from the earthquakes. The densely populated OPPE 26 housing project is feared to be among the worst affected.

Upon arriving at the scene, a somber silence pervaded. With minimal external assistance and no heavy machinery, only the sounds of basic tools could be heard as residents attempted to rescue loved ones trapped in the ruins. Bodies recovered from the wreckage lay on the ground, often shielded by blankets.

Oswaldo Tovar, 45, shared his heartrending story. Using a small hammer, he created a hole big enough to reach the remains of his wife and daughter. Unable to extract them, he sat with their remains as we talked, waiting for aid. He revealed that his wife’s name was Ivonne Ladera, aged 46. His daughter was 8 years old, but he struggled to say her name.

Photography by Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, written by Eric Nagourney, and drone piloting by Andres Conde.