The body of a 25-year-old model has been recovered from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Venezuela after the powerful earthquakes that devastated parts of the country, leaving thousands dead and many more still missing.
Oriana Ustariz, who had recently graduated with a degree in physiotherapy, was found during search operations at the Moisés residential building in the San Bernardino district of Caracas on 30 June, according to local reports.
Rescuers said Ms Ustariz was discovered beneath the debris still holding her pet dog, believed to have been named Kai. She was the final resident from the apartment building who had remained unaccounted for.
Family members said the last time her mother heard from her was when she had gone outside to walk the dog shortly before the earthquakes struck.
Just days before the disaster, Ms Ustariz had celebrated graduating from university and shared photographs from the ceremony on social media.
“Achievements mean more when you’re surrounded by the people you love most,” she wrote alongside the images.
Her online profile described her as someone who loved the beach and spending time outdoors, while another message encouraged others to “fight for your dreams – nothing falls from the sky.”
Authorities said her body will undergo post-mortem examinations as recovery efforts continue.
Heavy machinery remains at the site of the Moisés building to remove debris and safely demolish sections of the damaged structure that are considered unstable.
The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck Venezuela in quick succession last week, causing widespread destruction across several regions.
Officials say nearly 2,600 people have been confirmed dead, while the United Nations estimates that tens of thousands of people may still be unaccounted for as rescue operations continue.
Among those still searching for loved ones is former Major League Baseball player Eliezer Alfonzo, whose wife and teenage daughter were staying on the fourth floor of an eight-storey hotel in the coastal state of La Guaira when the earthquakes hit.
Mr Alfonzo, now manager of the Delfines de La Guaira baseball team, has remained at the disaster site, helping search crews comb through the ruins.
Before international rescue teams arrived, miners from the town of Tumeremo joined recovery efforts by tunnelling into the collapsed hotel.
On Friday, rescuers located the family’s three-month-old dog, Mila, alive beneath the rubble after hearing the puppy barking.
The discovery renewed hopes that survivors might still be trapped.
“If my daughter’s dog turned up, I think they’re both there because I know they’re quite resilient,” Mr Alfonzo told AFP.
“The dogs are showing signs of life. Until I have them in my arms, I’ll continue to believe they’re alive.”
Elsewhere, families have continued to wait anxiously outside collapsed residential buildings as specialist teams use search dogs and acoustic listening equipment to detect possible signs of life.
In recent days, unverified reports circulating on social media claimed that a young boy had been found alive beneath the rubble, raising hopes among relatives.
However, rescue teams later said they had detected no further signs of survivors in the affected area.
Jose Francisco Liendo, who is searching for his father and sister, criticised the spread of unconfirmed information, saying false reports had added to the distress of families waiting for news.
More than 6,500 people have been rescued since the earthquakes struck Caracas and La Guaira, although emergency experts note that the likelihood of finding survivors decreases significantly after the first 72 hours.
One remarkable rescue involved security guard Hernán Gil, who was pulled alive from the rubble after spending nearly eight days trapped beneath a collapsed building while rescue crews supplied him with water and oxygen through narrow tubes.
Recovery operations remain underway across the disaster zone as authorities continue clearing debris and identifying victims.
The Venezuelan government has said every victim will be individually identified and has ruled out the use of mass graves despite the scale of the disaster.
The disaster has highlighted the critical role of earthquake preparedness, emergency rescue services, and disaster recovery planning in reducing the impact of major natural catastrophes. Experts emphasize the importance of earthquake insurance, structural engineering standards, search-and-rescue technology, emergency medical response, and humanitarian relief programs to improve resilience and protect communities when powerful earthquakes strike.
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