HT2. Body of model found embracing her pet dog is pulled from the rubble after Venezuela earthquake killed 2,600 with thousands more still missing

The death of 25-year-old Venezuelan model and newly graduated physiotherapist Oriana Ustariz has become one of the most poignant human stories to emerge from the devastating earthquakes that recently struck Venezuela. Her body, reportedly found still holding her small dog, was recovered from the rubble of a collapsed residential building in Caracas, highlighting both the scale of the tragedy and the deeply personal losses suffered by thousands of families.

Authorities and rescue workers continue to search through debris in several affected regions as the country confronts one of the most serious natural disasters in its modern history. While many details are still being updated by officials and humanitarian agencies, early figures from local authorities and international organizations indicate that thousands of people have died and many more remain missing.

Who Was Oriana Ustariz?

According to local media reports, Oriana Ustariz was a young woman from Caracas who had recently completed a degree in physiotherapy. Just days before the earthquakes struck, she celebrated her graduation and shared photographs of the ceremony on social media. In one of her posts, she reflected on the importance of family and close relationships, writing that achievements are more meaningful when shared with the people one loves most.

Ustariz also worked as a fashion model and brand promoter. Friends and followers knew her for her striking red curly hair and her optimistic outlook on life. On her social media profiles, she described herself as “a lover of the beach and an ice-cold beer,” and included the motivational phrase: “Fight for your dreams – nothing falls from the sky.” Those who knew her have remembered her as ambitious, cheerful, and devoted to both her professional goals and her loved ones.

Local reports say that 25-year-old model and physiotherapy graduate Oriana Ustariz had recently celebrated completing her studies before the earthquakes struck Venezuela.

The Final Moments Before the Building Collapse

On the day of the disaster, Ustariz was in the Moisés residential building in the San Bernardino district of Caracas. According to her family, the last contact they had with her was when she went out to walk her dog, believed to be named Kai. Shortly afterwards, powerful earthquakes shook the capital and surrounding areas, causing severe damage to multiple structures, including the Moisés building.

Rescue teams later focused intensive efforts on searching this building, which had partially collapsed. After days of work using heavy machinery and specialized equipment, they eventually recovered Ustariz’s body on 30 June. Local accounts indicate she was found under the rubble still holding her dog, a detail that, while tragic, has resonated with many Venezuelans and observers abroad for its intimate depiction of loss.

Search teams recovered Ustariz from the ruins of the Moisés building in Caracas after days of intensive efforts.

Following the recovery, authorities indicated that her remains would undergo standard post-mortem examinations as part of routine procedures used in disaster situations. At the same time, heavy machinery has remained on-site to continue clearing debris and to demolish parts of the structure considered too unstable to leave standing.

Social media posts remembered her as a determined young woman who encouraged others to pursue their dreams.

The Scale of the Earthquake Disaster in Venezuela

The earthquakes that impacted Venezuela were among the strongest recorded in the country in recent years. Local authorities cited magnitudes in the 7.2 to 7.5 range, which are powerful enough to cause extensive damage in densely populated areas, depending on depth, distance from the epicenter, and building standards.

Preliminary figures reported by Venezuelan officials, complemented by early estimates from international humanitarian organizations, suggest that almost 2,600 people have been confirmed dead. Several hundred buildings and structures were either partially damaged or completely destroyed, with some local authorities estimating that up to approximately 200 structures may have collapsed in whole or in part.

Collapsed buildings across affected regions illustrated the destructive power of the twin earthquakes.

The United Nations and other international agencies have emphasized that casualty numbers in large earthquakes are often revised as search operations progress. Early UN estimates suggested that tens of thousands of people could still be unaccounted for while rescue and identification efforts continue. Humanitarian actors typically highlight that in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes, there is often a period of uncertainty as missing-persons lists are compiled and compared with evacuation rosters, hospital records, and community reports.

La Guaira and Caracas Among the Hardest-Hit Areas

While the earthquakes were felt across a wide region, La Guaira, a coastal state and popular seaside destination near Caracas, has been widely reported as one of the hardest-hit areas. Once known primarily for tourism and local leisure activities, the region saw significant damage to hotels, apartment buildings, and other infrastructure.

In Caracas itself, several districts experienced building collapses and structural failures. The Moisés building in San Bernardino, where Ustariz was found, became one of the most closely watched locations as families gathered nearby and rescue teams worked around the clock to search for survivors.

Stories of Families Waiting for News

Beyond the statistics, the earthquakes have produced numerous personal stories of waiting, loss, and hope. One of the most widely reported has been that of former Major League Baseball player Eliezer Alfonzo, who played in the United States beginning in 2006 and now manages Delfines de La Guaira in Venezuela’s professional baseball league.

Alfonzo’s wife, Patricia Alejandra, and his teenage daughter, Eliana Patricia, were reportedly on the fourth floor of an eight-storey hotel in Macuto, in La Guaira, when the earthquakes struck. The building collapsed, and since then Alfonzo has remained at the site, participating personally in the search and working alongside rescuers and volunteer miners.

Local accounts say Ustariz’s mother last heard from her when she went out to walk her dog.

Rescue teams across the affected regions have used specialized equipment and standard post-mortem procedures as part of identification efforts.

Former Major League Baseball player Eliezer Alfonzo has spent days searching the ruins of a collapsed hotel in Macuto for his wife and daughter.

Before international rescue teams arrived, a group of approximately 20 miners from Tumeremo, a town in the gold-rich southern state of Bolívar, volunteered to help dig through the hotel’s debris. On one of the search days, they reportedly located Mila, the family’s three-month-old dog, alive under the ruins. The discovery of the dog, whose barking helped alert rescuers, gave Alfonzo and other families some renewed hope that there might be additional survivors.

Alfonzo has told reporters that he continues to believe in the resilience of his loved ones and has pledged to stay at the site until he has greater clarity about their fate. His story has been widely shared in Venezuelan media and on social networks, symbolizing the determination of many families who remain at search locations day and night.

Rescue Operations, Rumours, and the Emotional Toll

As in many large-scale disasters, rescue efforts in Venezuela have been accompanied by intense emotional strain and, at times, conflicting information. In one case, relatives such as Aloa Gonzalez waited beside the ruins of a collapsed building known as the Tahiti Residence, hoping for news about missing family members.

Rescue teams deployed specialized search dogs and used high-intensity sound detectors in an effort to identify signs of life. At one point, officials indicated they had not detected further evidence of survivors trapped beneath that specific structure. Despite this, unconfirmed rumours circulated on social media suggesting that a young boy had been found alive, based on reported sounds or movements in the rubble.

Some relatives, like Gonzalez, said they had heard claims that there was a significant chance that someone might still be alive, which encouraged them to keep pressing for continued rescue efforts. Others, including people still searching for the remains of relatives, expressed concern that such unverified reports could unintentionally “play with families’ pain” by raising expectations without official confirmation.

Remarkable Rescues and the Limits of Survival Time

Despite the severity of the damage, rescue teams have reported thousands of people being pulled from debris or evacuated from unsafe structures. Local officials indicated that almost 6,500 people have been rescued in total across La Guaira, Caracas, and other affected areas.

Emergency specialists often explain that the chances of survival decrease significantly after the first 72 hours following an earthquake, especially for people trapped in confined spaces without access to water, air, or medical care. However, there are documented cases of survivors being found days later in pockets of debris where they were protected from further collapses and could access some air or moisture.

Rescuers from multiple countries coordinated efforts in operations that led to survivors being pulled from the rubble days after the earthquakes.

Images of apartment blocks with floors stacked on top of each other illustrated the challenges rescue teams faced.

One of the most widely reported rescues in Venezuela involved a security guard named Hernán Gil, who was found alive after spending nearly eight days under rubble in the Playa Grande area of Catia La Mar, in La Guaira. During the operation, teams from several countries assisted Venezuelan responders, providing technical expertise and equipment. Reports indicate that rescuers were able to supply Gil with water and oxygen through tubes, stabilizing his condition until they could safely extract him.

Such rescues have been highlighted by emergency experts as examples of what can be achieved with coordinated, well-resourced search and rescue operations. They also provide moments of hope for families still waiting for news, even as overall survival probabilities decline over time.

Government Response and Identification of Victims

Venezuelan authorities have faced the dual challenge of continuing active search and rescue efforts while also beginning the longer-term work of recovery and reconstruction. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has publicly addressed concerns about how the deceased will be handled, stating that the government would not resort to mass graves and emphasizing a commitment to individual identification of victims.

In large disasters, the identification process can involve coordination between forensic teams, local registries, hospitals, and international organizations. The goal is to ensure that as many victims as possible are formally identified so that families can receive official confirmation, arrange funerals or memorials in accordance with their traditions, and access any support programs that may be established.

Alongside national authorities, international agencies such as the United Nations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies typically play a role in supporting humanitarian relief. This can include providing technical assistance, coordinating medical support, delivering emergency supplies, and helping to establish safe shelters for displaced people.

International Context and Disaster Preparedness

The earthquakes in Venezuela have drawn global attention not only because of the immediate human toll, but also because they underscore broader questions about disaster preparedness and building safety in seismically active regions. Earthquake risk is an ongoing concern in many parts of Latin America, where tectonic plate boundaries make strong seismic events a recurring possibility.

Specialists in disaster risk reduction often stress the importance of enforcing building codes designed to withstand seismic forces, regular inspection of older structures, public education campaigns on earthquake safety, and investment in emergency response capabilities. Experiences from other major earthquakes in countries such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru have shown that strong, consistently implemented construction standards can significantly reduce casualties and structural damage.

As Venezuela and the international community assess the full impact of this disaster, it is likely that discussions about resilient infrastructure, early-warning systems, and coordinated emergency planning will become more prominent. These measures cannot entirely prevent losses in the face of powerful natural forces, but they can help mitigate the severity of future events and improve outcomes for affected populations.

Remembering the Human Stories Behind the Numbers

Amid the statistics, logistical challenges, and policy debates, the story of people like Oriana Ustariz has served as a reminder that every number in the casualty figures represents an individual life, together with families, friends, and communities left behind. Her recent graduation and her optimistic public messages have been widely shared as symbols of a generation of young Venezuelans striving to build their futures despite economic and social challenges.

The earthquakes have also brought forward stories of solidarity, from volunteer miners travelling long distances to help, to international rescue teams working alongside local firefighters and civil defense personnel, to neighbors sharing food, shelter, and emotional support. As recovery efforts continue, these acts of collective care may play a vital role in helping communities process grief and begin the long task of rebuilding.