The last time Melany Toyo heard from her cousin was through a short message. Víctor Guanipa Toyo notified his mother that he had already arrived in Venezuela after being deported from the United States. Hours later, two strong earthquakes shook the country and, since then, no one has heard from him again.

Its story is repeated in dozens of homes. Relatives of nearly a hundred Venezuelans deported from the United States tour hospitals, morgues and shelters in search of answers. They say that the authorities have not clearly informed them who survived, who remains hospitalized, and who is still missing.

The migrants were traveling on a flight that landed at the Simón Bolívar International Airport a few hours before the June 24 earthquakes. In total, there were 146 people, including 19 women and seven children. After arriving, they were transferred to the Hotel Santuario La Llanada, in La Guaira, where they had to stay while they completed the procedures to return to their homes. The building collapsed during the earthquakes.

"They do not give truthful information. At home there is a mother who suffers and cries waiting for a response from her son," said Melany Toyo from Caracas, where she continues to search for her relative. According to what he said, different officials offer them different versions: some claim that 16 people survived; Others say that only women came out alive. So far, no authority has released an official list with the names of survivors or victims.

The confusion reached such a point that a family received a call to inform them that one of the deportees had died. When they answered, they responded that this was impossible: the man was alive, hospitalized and recovering from injuries sustained under the rubble.

Some survivors managed to get out on their own. Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she escaped from the building with other people and walked several kilometers until she found help. "I have been born again; God gave me a second chance," he said after reuniting with his family. She assures that she is still affected by what she experienced.

Meanwhile, search efforts continue in La Guaira, one of the states hardest hit by the earthquake. The Venezuelan government reported that the official death toll stands at 1,943, although there are still thousands of people missing and rescue teams continue to remove debris.

For the families of the deportees, however, time seems to have stopped. They do not look for official statistics or balance sheets. They are just waiting for a call that will let them know if their loved ones managed to survive or if they will have to begin a mourning that they cannot yet assume.

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