'It's a nightmare': survivors describe moments of terror after earthquakes that devastated Venezuela

Amid the devastation of earthquakes, Venezuelans unite in search of survivors
Survivors of the earthquakes that hit Venezuela are still trying to deal with the trauma of those who saw buildings collapse in seconds, were trapped under the rubble or lost family members in the tragedy.
In the city of Laguaira, one of the hardest hit, fisherman Osvaldo managed to escape alongside his granddaughter, but lost his nephew, who lived on the first floor of a destroyed building.
"I ran down the stairs with my granddaughter. I have a nephew who lives on the first floor and he wasn't found. A lot of people died. Six or seven people came out alive. It's a nightmare," he said.
Survivors describe moments of terror after earthquakes that devastated the city. Venezuela
Reproduction/TV Globo
Earthquakes in Venezuela leave blocks destroyed, and residents complain about rescue failures
'I'm alive'
Venezuelan Carmen, known as Tielita, also survived the collapse of the building where she was temporarily staying. She says that the first tremor was already intense, but the second was even stronger.
"I hugged the kitchen door frame. A strong movement began and then another even stronger one. I realized that the building was collapsing", she recalls.
After the construction collapsed, Tielita remained stuck face down among the rubble for around five hours, with injuries to her arms and legs.
"When everything stopped shaking, it became dark and there was a lot of dust. I said to myself same: 'I'm alive'."
She was only able to call for help when she heard voices outside. According to the survivor, in the first hours after the disaster there were no official rescue teams on site.
"Six hours after the earthquake, no firefighter, no police officer had yet appeared. Only people looking for their relatives on their own."
Survivors describe moments of terror after earthquakes that devastated Venezuela
Reproduction/TV Globo
Improvised rescue
The information passed on by Tielita reached her cousin, Jesus Alberto, known as Beto, who took shortcuts on a motorcycle to the site of the collapse.
When he arrived, he found a mountain of concrete where the building had collapsed. With tools borrowed from a partially destroyed store and the help of volunteers, he managed to locate his cousin.
Residents improvised a garden hose as a rope to remove Tielita from the rubble. After the rescue, Beto managed to stop an ambulance that took her to a hospital in Caracas.
Despite her joy at surviving, Tielita regrets the death of her friend Araceles, owner of the apartment where she was temporarily living. The two began to talk while they remained trapped in the rubble, but Araceles did not resist.
VIDEO: Nine-month-old baby and mother are rescued alive from the rubble in Venezuela
Baby is rescued alive from the rubble in Venezuela
Reproduction/TV Globo
Hope among the rubble
While thousands of families await news from relatives disappeared, stories of survival continue to feed hope.
Tielita's own family continues to live days of anguish. A cousin, her husband and two daughters are still missing after the collapse of another building in Laguaira.
"The Venezuelans are strong. I know they will resist until their last breath. But someone needs to rescue them," he says.
Search teams continue working in the most devastated areas, where there is still an expectation of finding survivors under the rubble, even days after the earthquakes.
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Source: G1