LA GUAIRA: Five days after powerful back-to-back quakes flattened entire neighborhoods of multi-story buildings in the coastal state of La Guaira, hopes of finding survivors are fading.

But a WhatsApp message ignited hopes of a miraculous find beneath the rubble, more than 120 hours after the disaster.

A woman wrote to the caretaker of a collapsed apartment building in Caraballeda, one of the worst-hit areas, about 40 kilometers from Caracas, to say she was still alive, a volunteer rescuer, Daniel Pino, said.

Also on Monday, a 21-year-old who was named as Aaron Levi was rescued in the nearby town of Tanaguarena.

The US military on Monday raced to reopen a major port in Venezuela to ease access to aid for the victims of twin earthquakes that killed at least 1,719 people and left tens of thousands missing.

US Marines were working to repair the quake-hit port of La Guaira to allow delivery of supplies and equipment by sea, a US administration official told journalists in Washington.

US airmen are already helping to restore traffic at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas, which was also damaged in one of the worst quake disasters in Latin America’s history.

The airport had already partially reopened to cargo and aid flights.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2026