A family urges help for the Venezuelan artist trapped under the rubble of the earthquake

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Unai Quiñonez is among thousands of missing people after two successive earthquakes devastated the country.

Artist Unai Quiñonez (All images used with permission)

Family members of Venezuelan artist Unai Quiñonez issued an urgent appeal for help, saying the painter remains trapped after an apartment building collapsed in the coastal town of Carrabaleda in La Guaira. He is one of tens of thousands of people reported missing after two successive earthquakes devastated the country on Wednesday, June 24.

Quiñonez’s sister-in-law, Mariela Roa, told Hyperallergic via Spanish-language WhatsApp messages that he was at his Yurre Beach residence in the hard-hit coastal city when the quake struck, and that official rescue teams had not yet arrived at the site.

“We need to clarify Unai’s situation,” Rua said. “He is alive, fighting, and has been under the rubble for 41 hours.” Hypersensitivity has not been able to independently verify Quiñonez’s condition, but it is estimated that hundreds are trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings in La Guaira.

The two earthquakes occurred one minute apart on Wednesday evening, and had magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively. Experts say that the second earthquake was the strongest recorded in Venezuela in more than a century. At least 589 people were killed in the disaster, according to acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, and more than 3,000 others were injured.

Damage to the Yuri Beach residence in La Guaira, where Quiñonez is believed to be trapped under the rubble

Quiñonez, originally from Mérida in northwestern Venezuela, is known for his vibrant, expressive and highly dynamic paintings. He was in the building with his wife, artist Laura Silva, who went out to walk their dog, Petra, when the first earthquake occurred.

“She saw the building collapsing with my brother in it,” Quiñonez’s sister, Nahiara, said in a Spanish audio message to Hyperallergic.

Nahiara said that over the past two days, her father and Silva have gathered groups of friends and family at the site to help clear the rubble, but specialized help is needed. The family shared Zelle and PayPal accounts for donations.

“The infrastructure is very weak, so they need to work with special machines that are difficult to access at the moment,” Nahiara continued. He added: “There are also problems with electricity and difficulties in reaching the area, and communications are down.”

The conditions in which Quiñonez lives are horrific, but unfortunately they are not exceptional. Also in La Guaira, textile artist Siol Raci and photographer Azalea Licon posted on Instagram their search for missing family members.

Creative communities both locally and in the diaspora have quickly mobilized in response to the crisis, with GBG Arts gallery in Caracas issuing a public call for artworks to raise funds. New York-based illustrator Andrea Cáceres shares resources, including donation pages for direct relief efforts and local drop-off points for supplies.

Internationally, organizations such as the I Love Venezuela Foundation and the Global Empowerment Mission are raising funds to deliver food, water and medical aid to those affected.

The earthquakes come on the heels of Trump dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a decision that experts say dramatically slows humanitarian relief efforts in the region. The South American country was already reeling from state neglect, crippling economic sanctions and the chaos that followed Trump’s kidnapping and arrest of then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January operation estimated to cost more than $200 million.

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