{"id":533231,"date":"2026-07-04T20:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T20:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/533231\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T20:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T20:49:16","slug":"venezuelans-in-ireland-every-day-were-receiving-messages-that-more-people-havent-been-found-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/533231\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelans in Ireland: \u2018Every day we\u2019re receiving messages that more people haven\u2019t been found\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Venezuelans<\/a> living in Ireland have called on Irish people to support the humanitarian efforts under way following two massive earthquakes in the South American country.<\/p>\n

At least 2,600 people were killed<\/a> when twin earthquakes hit the country\u2019s northern coast on June 24th. Thousands more were left injured or homeless. The state of La Guaira was worst affected. <\/p>\n

Yonelys Ainagas, who has lived in Ireland since 2013, said the people of Venezuela \u201care living through an unimaginable tragedy\u201d. <\/p>\n

Speaking at a rally in St Stephen\u2019s Green in Dublin<\/a> on Saturday, Ainagas said: \u201cFamilies have lost loved ones, thousands have been injured, and many have been left homeless, waiting for food, clean water, medical care and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ainagas told The Irish Times that Venezuela will be largely reliant on international aid and called on Irish people to donate to reputable charities working on the ground in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery act of support, whether through humanitarian assistance, medical aid, emergency supplies, fundraising or simply raising awareness, can help save lives and bring hope to those who have lost everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexa Hill, an Irish citizen, was on the phone to her mother when the earthquake struck last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe started to scream, and she started to tell me, \u2018Oh my God, there is an earthquake\u2019,\u201d Hill recalled. Her mother was not too close to the epicentre of the quakes and survived, but Hill said the phone call was terrifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family is okay, my friends are okay, but I have friends here in Ireland that have had family that died,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018I saw a ray of light\u2019: Venezuelan man pulled alive from collapsed building eight days after earthquakesOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Hill said it will be \u201cvery hard\u201d for people in Venezuela to rebuild their lives. She said this would be difficult in any circumstance but will be particularly hard for people there due to the economic crisis.<\/p>\n

The country has suffered from years of economic collapse, hyperinflation and corruption. <\/p>\n

\u201cVenezuela didn\u2019t have a proper healthcare [system] before this happened,\u201d Hill said.<\/p>\n

\u201cVenezuela was suffering an economic crisis before this happened, people were not able to live properly in Venezuela. So, now imagine after this catastrophe has happened, how they are at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many Venezuelans have accused the government of being too slow to respond to the earthquakes.<\/p>\n

\"CollapsedCollapsed residential buildings in the Luisa C\u00e1ceres de Arismendi public housing estate in Catia La Mar, Venezuela. Photograph: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez\/The New York Times<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were civilians with their bare hands, pulling rubble and trying to get their loved ones to safety with nothing but ordinary shovels and buckets,\u201d Vanessa Tabila, another Irish citizen, said.<\/p>\n

Her immediate family is safe but some of her relatives, including two teenagers, are still missing and presumed dead.<\/p>\n

Lisette Krol, who has lived in Ireland for 24 years, said she received a message from her mother on the day the earthquakes hit. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom [was] screaming, shaking, saying \u2018I love you\u2019 and things like that. So, it was really hard to receive a message like that\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her mother was in Caracas and thankfully survived, but Krol said she knows many people who died.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of my friends and family, we still cannot find them. Some of them, unfortunately, passed away … Every day we\u2019re receiving messages that more and more people haven\u2019t been found.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Model homes with views of the sea \u2013 now reduced to rubbleOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Krol runs Tribe Fitness Dance Studio in Dublin. She said her colleagues and students have helped to raise thousands of euro to buy medicine and other essentials for people in Venezuela. <\/p>\n

Krol also encouraged people to donate to reputable international oragnisations or send money directly to people they know in Venezuela amid fears donations could be taken by the government and not spent on relief efforts. <\/p>\n

More information on how to help can be found via the Venezuelan Community in Ireland group<\/a>.<\/p>\n