Agony, then ‘a miracle’: Venezuelan families describe reuniting with rescued loved ones

VenezuelaAgony, then ‘a miracle’: Venezuelan families describe reuniting with rescued loved onesAs thousands are trapped in the rubble and time is running out, some families facing the unimaginable got the outcome they were desperately hoping for. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Add NBC News to Google'Compounding crisis': An already fragile Venezuela faces aid challenges02:25Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 26, 2026, 4:38 PM EDTBy Ana Vanessa Herrero, Nicole Acevedo and Geraldine Cols AzócarLA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Amid the crumbled buildings that now shape the city’s skyline, rescuers and families looking for missing loved ones have been tirelessly parsing through the rubble since Wednesday’s two devastating earthquakes hit in northern Venezuela.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.Anguished relatives seeking loved ones know time is not on their side as they cling to hope that their loved ones can be found safe. For some, the good news started with a whisper — or a baby’s cry.On Thursday, a father stood in front of a collapsed apartment building here, shouting his adult son’s name over and over, searching for a sign he was still alive a day after the powerful quakes.The father, José Alberto Gallipoli, went down into the building’s crumbled basement to see if he could hear his son responding to his calls.“The scene was devastating,” Gallipoli said. “I yelled out my son Jofram’s name with the last shred of faith I had left.”But then he heard a faint whisper. It was Jofram, still alive, alongside his wife and their 4-year-old son.People camp in an open space in La Guaira, Venezuela.Ana Vanessa Herrero for NBC NewsThe family had spent more than 24 hours trapped under the rubble of their seven-story apartment building.Gallipoli had been in Caracas, about 20 miles away, when the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes rattled Venezuela less than a minute apart. They w...