The hunt for survivors beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in La Guaira, Venezuela, entered its third day on Wednesday, with rescue workers racing against time as British search and rescue specialists remained on standby. The 12-storey building, which sources say was constructed without proper permits in a district notorious for organised crime, pancaked on Monday evening, killing at least 21 people and trapping dozens more. Local officials have confirmed that 14 people have been pulled alive from the wreckage, but the death toll is expected to rise.
Documents obtained by this newsroom reveal that the building's developer, Inversiones del Mar C.A., had been flagged by Venezuela's housing ministry in 2019 for using substandard materials. The company's owners, brothers Carlos and Alberto Mendoza, are understood to have fled the country shortly after the collapse. Calls to their known phone numbers went unanswered. A source close to the investigation told me: "These men knew what they were doing. They cut every corner possible."
The British government's offer of a 12-person urban search and rescue team, equipped with seismic listening devices and concrete-cutting gear, has been accepted in principle by the Nicolás Maduro administration. However, diplomats in Caracas say the team remains grounded at a Royal Air Force base in the UK, awaiting final clearance from Venezuelan authorities. "The paperwork is moving," a Foreign Office official told me. "But in these situations, every hour counts."
Meanwhile, relatives of the missing have gathered at a makeshift triage centre set up by emergency services. Among them is Maria Fernanda Lopez, whose 6-year-old daughter, Sofia, was playing in the building's courtyard when the structure gave way. "They told me she is alive," Lopez said, clutching a photograph of the child. "But I have not seen her in two days. I need answers."
The collapse has reignited scrutiny of Venezuela's construction sector, which operates with little oversight in a country ravaged by hyperinflation and political instability. A 2021 report by Transparency International ranked Venezuela 177th out of 180 countries for perceived corruption. "This is not an accident," said Rafael Uzcátegui, a Caracas-based civil engineer who reviewed the building plans. "This is a crime. And the people responsible are enjoying their money somewhere safe while mothers wait for their children."
As night falls on La Guaira, the search continues by floodlight. British experts wait for a call that may never come. And the Mendozas? They remain, for now, beyond reach.
