Venezuela Earthquake: A Mother and Newborn Survive, a Soccer Player's Family Does Not

Since twin earthquakes hit Venezuela's northern coast on Wednesday, recovery efforts in La Guaira have shifted from frantic search to something quieter and grimmer.

NPR's Eyder Peralta, reporting from La Guaira, described the change directly: the rescue zone has gone silent by design. Motorcycles are required to cut their engines near collapsed buildings. Rescuers order bystanders to stop moving, because footsteps create noise that masks sounds from beneath the rubble. Workers shout into the debris — 'If you're alive, make some noise' — and listen for two rocks being struck together. The fading noise isn't calm. It's method.

Peralta reported that at one building where crews had been working through the night, a survivor was pulled out alive Sunday morning. But he also described what the quieter streets actually signal: hopes of finding more survivors are fading as time passes from the initial collapse.

Dayana Patino and Juan David

The rescue that captured international attention came Thursday night. Dayana Patino, 18 days postpartum, was washing dishes in her eighth-floor La Guaira apartment when the first earthquake hit. She grabbed her newborn son Juan David and held on.

"I felt like I was flying. After that, I felt like I was sinking in water and dirt," Patino told BBC News from a Caracas clinic on Sunday. Her left leg was trapped under concrete. Her temple was pressed against rock. She could not move.

She made a deliberate decision not to scream continuously. "I said to myself I'm not going to waste my energy — I'm going to scream when it's needed, when I hear voices or steps nearby."

In the dark, she kept checking her son by touch. "Every now and then I was touching his nose for proof that he was still breathing," she said.

Her brother found her by calling her name. She screamed back with everything she had. He promised not to leave until she was out. He kept that promise. Both mother and son were rescued Thursday night. Patino sustained injuries to both legs. Juan David had only minor injuries, according to BBC News.

Dayana's husband Gerson had just returned home and parked the car when the earthquakes hit. He managed to jump over a fence to safety. "I thought they were dead. And when I saw my son I felt like I was born again," he told the BBC.

Lucas Trejo's Family

The 74-hour search for Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo's family ended differently.

Trejo, 38, a center back for Venezuelan club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira, was in Caracas with his team when the earthquakes struck. Fox News reported that after learning his family's building in Playa Grande, La Guaira had collapsed, he traveled immediately to the disaster zone. His father and brother flew from Argentina to join firefighters, military personnel, and volunteers at the site.

Over the weekend, rescuers recovered the bodies of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa Trejo.

Club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira confirmed the deaths in a statement Sunday: "We join the grief that overwhelms player Lucas Trejo for the passing of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and of his children, Aaron and Ainhoa Trejo. Peace to their souls and comfort for Lucas and all his loved ones."

Fellow Argentine footballer Edson Tortolero wrote on social media: "Today my heart breaks into a thousand pieces. There are no words that can ease so much pain."

The Scale Still Defies Comprehension

The confirmed death toll stands at at least 1,450, according to multiple reports. Venezuela's interim president has described the disaster as the "most brutal natural catastrophe" in the country's history. Tens of thousands remain listed as missing.

At the same time, the physical evidence on the ground is clear. Entire apartment towers stand reduced to rubble, coastline communities wiped out, rescue teams working through building after building. NPR's Peralta described standing in front of a 12-story building with no official rescuer present — only the families of residents digging through rubble with their hands.

What Comes Next

Search operations in La Guaira are continuing, but hopes of finding more survivors are fading as time passes. NPR reported that aid is arriving but described it as insufficient for the size of the disaster. The central unresolved question is whether rescue teams have sufficient access and resources to cover the full geographic scope of the collapse zone before recovery formally supersedes rescue.