The double earthquake which left several hundred dead and thousands injured in Venezuela has further devastated a country already in an advanced state of precariousness, say two Quebecers of Venezuelan origin.
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“It was a shock when I saw the tragedy. I started crying, I started calling my family. We had no answer on the phone for a few hours,” testified David Ramirez, in an interview with LCN, Friday.
Unable to reach his loved ones, he initially imagined the worst.
“I thought my sister had died, that the building had collapsed on top of her. I called friends, I called my uncle, I called another aunt, I had no answer,” emphasizes Mr. Ramirez.
It was ultimately his doctor uncle who was the first to answer his calls.
Hospital staff in Venezuela are completely overwhelmed, confirms David Ramirez
“We don’t have the capacity as a country. Because of a bad government, there is no medicine, there is no gas, there are no things to take care of such a great tragedy. […] For rescue operations, they don’t even have picks, they don’t have shovels, they don’t have machines, they don’t have anything,” he claims.
David Ramirez, a Quebecer of Venezuelan origin worried about the South American country, June 26, 2026
LCN screenshot
Uncertain future
A feeling of fear currently inhabits many Caracassians.
“There are dangers that there will be more earthquakes. […] Seismologists say maybe it can go back 26 times to 4.0. People are very scared and cannot sleep,” says Mr. Ramirez.
“Also, there is no water, there is no electricity. There are some phone companies that don’t work. So, the situation in Venezuela is very precarious now,” he adds.
Concerns are now focused on the future of the country where 8 million people already needed help to survive, even before the double earthquake.
“Venezuela is a very unstable country when it comes to government and machinery. Already, at the base, there is not much machinery. So, when a tragedy of this magnitude happens, sending the machinery to try to pull people out of the rubble is hard. We see lots of videos, then see people who are trapped under concrete beams [et pour lesquels] we can’t do anything. This is the helplessness we have at the moment,” says Jean Carlos Ceballos.
Jean Carlos Ceballos, a Quebecer of Venezuelan origin worried about the South American country, June 26, 2026
LCN screenshot
The latter hopes for a strong international response and a lot of support to help his country of origin recover.
“The hours pass, we don’t know if we will be able to save people, children, elderly people. It really is like a war. It looked like the Syrian war, with everything that happened, it’s very sad,” he laments.
However, the Venezuelan people remain resilient and strong, says Mr. Ceballos, who remains optimistic that his country will succeed.
To see the full interview, watch the video above.
