According to the latest figures provided by Rector Víctor Rago, 51 members of the Central University of Venezuela community lost their lives in the earthquakes.
By Vanessa Davies
The classmates of Stephanie Zambrano and Jesús Santana, students in the Department of Literature at the School of Humanities and Education at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), turned to social media to ask for help in recovering their bodies after the June 24 earthquakes. Stephanie and Jesús lay beneath the rubble of Block 3 in the José Antonio Páez housing complex in Catia La Mar. According to UCV volunteers, the area had not received the assistance it needed when rescuers could still have found them alive.
The body of Sabrina Angulo, also a Literature student, remained inside the María Amelia building in Catia La Mar. Thirty-six hours after the earthquakes, the Instagram account @letrasimagenesgritosysusurros continued to stress the urgent need for heavy machinery to recover the victims in that area.
Catia La Mar became the final resting place of Stephanie, Jesús and Sabrina. Rescue teams eventually recovered their bodies amid their families’ grief, and on Tuesday, July 21, their school honored them with a heartfelt tribute.
Members of the UCV community beneath the rubble
According to the latest update from UCV Rector Víctor Rago, the earthquakes claimed the lives of 51 members of the university community. Most of them were students, Rago specified.
José Gregorio Afonso, president of the UCV Professors’ Association (Apucv), confirmed that eight faculty members also died as a result of the earthquakes, emphasizing that they were young educators.
The tragedy extended beyond the loss of life. The homes where UCV students, professors and staff lived also suffered severe damage from the twin earthquakes. As of July 15, 493 members of the university community had been displaced, Professor Nashla Báez, a member of the Rector’s Office team, explained. At least 20 professors lost their homes entirely and have taken shelter with relatives and friends.
An urgent financial need
The government announced financial assistance for people affected by the earthquakes. Since the executive branch stated that the aid is intended for everyone, university professors must also receive it, Afonso insisted, while making the Apucv registry available to support the process.
Meanwhile, the UCV Rector’s Office established a relief fund to assist members of the university community as they rebuild their homes and address other urgent needs resulting from the June 24 disaster. Rago explained that the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) authorized the opening of a foreign-currency bank account, and he added that the university also created a separate local-currency account to receive donations. He expressed hope that the generations of UCV graduates, both in Venezuela and abroad, will answer their Alma Mater’s call for help.
