Church Members Lost as Devastating Earthquakes Strike Venezuela

Faith Facts

• Multiple members of Churches of Christ in Venezuela died when powerful earthquakes struck the nation Wednesday, with at least 164 total deaths reported
• Adela Maqueda and her niece perished when a wall collapsed on them in Caracas, while another church member sustained a skull fracture and had to be carried to a hospital by bicycle
• Church members were meeting for prayer when the quakes hit, quickly evacuating their building and helping elderly neighbors and those in wheelchairs escape

Believers in Venezuela are mourning the loss of fellow church members following a series of catastrophic earthquakes that struck the South American nation Wednesday, claiming lives and leaving communities desperate for help amid widespread destruction.

“It’s a terrible situation,” said Germán Chirinos, a minister in the nation’s capital, Caracas. “Communications are down. There are places without electricity. Some people are trapped under buildings.”

Among the victims were Adela Maqueda, who worshiped with a Church of Christ in Caracas, and her niece, who died when a wall collapsed on top of them. Another church member named Edgar sustained a skull fracture in the disaster. In a testament to the dire circumstances facing Venezuelans, friends were forced to carry him on a bicycle to the nearest hospital.

In Caracas, the devastation was widespread.

“Many buildings collapsed partially, but others completely,” Chirinos said.

The destruction near the earthquakes’ epicenters was even more severe. The first earthquake struck near the town of San Felipe, about 100 miles west of the capital, around 5 p.m. Wednesday. A second, larger quake followed less than a minute later near the town of Yumare. The quakes represent the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At least 164 people died and nearly 1,000 more were injured, according to initial reports from Venezuela’s government. Among the hardest-hit regions are communities in Venezuela’s La Guaira state, north of Caracas. At least one couple who worshiped with a Church of Christ there died in the quakes, church members reported. Several other members in La Guaira are missing, Chirinos said.

Carlos León, who ministers for a Church of Christ in San Antonio de los Altos, south of Caracas, described how a group of church members were meeting in an apartment when the earthquakes began. They prayed quickly before taking the stairs out of the building and helping others.

“There are many elderly people in that building, people in wheelchairs,” León said.

Those at the service “began to help people get out and to carry people.”

León sent a voicemail message as his cellphone was losing its charge. The minister has been without power for a day, he said. The loss of basic infrastructure has compounded the tragedy, making rescue and recovery efforts even more challenging.

“It’s been sad and difficult because we have lost church members, particularly here in San Antonio,” León said, “but also brothers and sisters we know from other congregations, some of whom remain trapped.”

Some, including Edgar, are recovering from their injuries.

“But there are other brothers… we’re trying to pull out of the rubble,” León said, “hoping they’re also alive.”

The natural disaster follows more than a decade of economic and political turmoil in Venezuela. More than 7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, and those who remain struggle with unemployment and rising crime rates. In January, the U.S. attacked Caracas and seized the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, indicting them on charges of narcoterrorism. Delcy Rodríguez serves as Venezuela’s acting president, but uncertainty hangs over the country’s future and its relationship with the U.S.

Now, León said, “the earthquake complicates everything.”

The tragedy in Venezuela reminds us of the fragility of life and the importance of faith in times of crisis. These believers faced unimaginable loss yet immediately turned to prayer and service, helping their neighbors escape danger. Their example demonstrates the power of Christian community and sacrificial love even in the darkest moments.

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