Relatives in Venezuela and internationally are posting images and information on social media as they desperately seek loved ones missing after two powerful, back-to-back earthquakes struck Wednesday evening.
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado reported late Thursday that the death toll had reached approximately 235, with at least 4,300 individuals injured. The casualty count is anticipated to increase following the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes, which caused extensive damage and ranked among the strongest in Venezuela in over a century.
Due to inconsistent communication, social media and online registries have become vital resources for many Venezuelans seeking information beyond limited official government statistics. Independent online registries documenting up to 40,000 missing persons significantly exceed the official government figures.
While some individuals searched beneath collapsed structures, others created digital flyers on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and X detailing their relatives' information.
### Searching for Relatives
Vanesa Marcano, 31, shared photos from Madrid of her uncle and aunt residing in La Guaira state, north of Caracas, which sustained severe damage and casualties.
Marcano posted the images hoping they were merely unreachable due to damaged communication lines. Her uncle’s daughter and his 7-year-old grandson, who were visiting from the United States, are also among those missing.
“It’s a feeling of impotence and uncertainty,” Marcano stated by phone. “I know you must stay calm and focus on the actions you can take. But it’s very easy to fall into despair.”
Jhoyser Concalves, from the northern coastal city of Catia La Mar, was speaking with his partner and her daughter minutes before the shaking occurred; this was the last contact he had with them.
After the earthquake subsided, Concalves went out of his home toward their apartment building on the sixth floor. He found only debris and neighbors attempting rescue efforts from the rubble.
Concalves posted a flyer marked “MISSING” on X and Facebook in a desperate effort to locate them.
“They are pulling people out of the building alive. So I still have hope that they are in there alive,” he said.
### United Nations Calls for Social Media Access Restoration
The search efforts were complicated by existing restrictions on social media and messaging platforms within the country.
On Thursday, the U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela released a statement urging the government to lift local limitations on social media, asserting that prompt access to reliable information can save lives.
Sites such as X and the Signal messaging app had been blocked by then-President Nicolás Maduro in August 2024 in an effort to suppress communication among those who disputed his claim of victory in the presidential election. Former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed the role of acting president in January after the U.S. captured and removed Maduro from power.
Shortly after the U.N.’s request on Thursday, Venezuelans within the country regained access to X.
### Searching From Abroad
Outside Venezuela, these online sites have become even more critical for many of the 8 million people who migrated from Venezuela in recent years and were unable to check on their family members.
Elibel Tovar Lanas, 38, was planning a trip from Chile, where he has lived for 23 years, this Saturday—his first visit in a decade—to see his 70-year-old father who lives in Brazil but was in La Guaira for business. Lanas had not heard from his father, Félix Ramón Tovar Hernández.
“I feel powerless because I don’t know how this is affecting him: the shock, the decisions he’s having to make, whether he is physically okay, or even whether he is still alive,” Lanas said, after registering his father on the missing persons website.
“Being in Chile makes it very difficult to get information, and everything we see feels confusing,” Lanas communicated via WhatsApp.
In Madrid, Marcano mentioned she was trying to remain calm for her 1-year-old daughter’s sake.
“You keep hoping someone will organize a fundraiser or some kind of initiative where you can help,” Marcano said. “But the truth is, from far away, there is very little you can do.”