Venezuela quake kills 135 US deportees as hotel collapses; only 12 survive
A group of 147 Venezuelans deported from the United States under the Trump administration were killed when a strong earthquake struck just hours after their arrival in Venezuela. Only 12 people emerged alive from the ruins of the government-run hotel in La Guaira.
The earthquake
On June 24, two powerful tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit northern Venezuela within minutes of each other, the strongest seismic event in over a century for the country. Epicentred near La Guaira, the quake flattened entire neighbourhoods, including the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, and forced hundreds of families in Caracas into makeshift tent camps. Survivors described the heat and lack of supplies in the improvised settlements.
It's almost a game for him, but for us it's a tragedy. Almost everyone in the building opposite mine died.
Deportees caught in the disaster
That same day, a flight from Miami touched down at Maiquetía airport carrying 147 Venezuelans deported under the Trump administration's repatriation policy. The group, 125 men, 21 women, and seven minors, had been expelled from the United States and were processed by Venezuelan authorities. They were bussed to the Hotel Sanitario La Llanada in La Guaira, a facility operated by the government's Misión Hipólita foundation, where they were to await bureaucratic formalities. Within hours, the hotel was reduced to rubble by the earthquake.
The collapse and survivors
Only 12 people from the deported group managed to escape the collapse alive, according to relatives of survivors. The families have not received any official list of victims or information about where the bodies are held. Relief teams continued to search the debris but lamented a shortage of proper equipment.
I lost so many people, dear friends. Their pain is my pain.
In a small glimmer of resilience, a young girl named Mariangel proudly showed off her iguana and turtles, saying, "We live in this tent and it's fine; they are my friends."
- Deportee flight from Miami lands; group transferred to Hotel Sanitario La Llanada
- Two earthquakes (M7.2, M7.5) strike near La Guaira
- Hotel Sanitario La Llanada collapses, killing 135 of the 147 deportees
Political backdrop
The tragedy is intertwined with steep political tensions between Washington and Caracas. In January 2026, a US military operation led to the arrest and deportation of President Nicolás Maduro, opening a transition period under interim President Delcy Rodríguez. The repatriation flight came amid this fraught relationship, and the deaths of the deportees added a new layer of grief and accusation, with families demanding urgent action from both governments.
