Fifteen-year-old Deivi Delfín and his brother Winder fled La Guaira after twin earthquakes on 24 June destroyed their home and killed three relatives, including their mother. They moved to Cali to join their father but were soon caught up in Colombia's magnitude 7.4 earthquake. The brothers took part in rescue efforts in Venezuela, discovered remains of their family — including their younger brother still holding their mother's hand — and now face renewed trauma. They hope to rebuild through work and education but will need time and support to recover.
Venezuelan Teen Brothers Flee Quake Devastation — Then Face Colombia's Major Earthquake
Deivi (left) with Winder and their father Deivid [BBC Mundo]
Fifteen-year-old Deivi Delfín says, "The earthquake is haunting me." He and his brother Winder, 17, survived two devastating tremors in Venezuela on 24 June that destroyed their home in La Guaira and killed three members of their family, including their mother. Hoping for safety, the brothers joined their father in Cali, Colombia — only to experience another powerful quake days later.
[Getty Images]
Two Disasters, One Family's Grief
On the evening of 24 June, two powerful earthquakes measured at magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 struck just 39 seconds apart on Venezuela's Caribbean coast. Their 12-storey apartment collapsed under the shaking, trapping their mother, grandmother and 10-year-old brother Moissés beneath concrete and rubble. The Venezuelan government reports more than 6,300 deaths; official counts of missing people remain unclear.
Deivi says he does not feel like a child anymore after weeks of searching for his missing family [BBC Mundo]
Winder and Deivi joined the search-and-rescue effort immediately. For nearly a month they helped comb the wreckage, crawling through narrow gaps and guiding rescuers with the light of mobile phones and handheld torches. Gradually they recovered small, heartbreaking traces of their lives — Moissés's shorts, their mother's Bible and an unfinished shopping list — until they recognised a floral skirt and rescuers located a woman's body.
Winder was the first to see his mother in the rubble of their collapsed apartment [BBC Mundo]
"By that point, I didn't feel like a child anymore," Deivi says of the weeks spent searching through rubble.
Winder identified their mother by a plastic bag she had been using to dye her hair when they left for the beach. While crews worked to lift a concrete slab pinned on the body, they found Moissés still holding his mother's hand. Their father, Deivid, collapsed when he saw his youngest son's face.
Moissés was found still holding his mother Yusmani's (left) hand [Delfín family]
A New Quake in Colombia
After burying their relatives, the brothers moved into a modest neighbourhood in the north-eastern outskirts of Cali to live with their father. Just days after arriving, they felt a familiar tremor: Colombia experienced a magnitude 7.4 earthquake — described as the country's strongest this century — which killed several hundred people in early reports and left many more missing. Cali was among the hardest-hit cities.
Deivi says he first thought he was dreaming when the shaking began. As it intensified he ran downstairs; his brother did the same. Outside, they clung to a metal gate and waited. Their father, who had been on the street, returned home frantic to find them gone. He eventually found them outside the barbershop where he works. "Dad, stay calm. We've been through this before," they told him.
What Comes Next
The brothers say they want to rebuild their lives through hard work and education so their mother would be proud. But the compounded trauma of losing family members and surviving multiple earthquakes will likely require psychosocial support, stable housing and time. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors in both countries as communities cope with loss and uncertainty.
Key names and details: Deivi (15), Winder (17), younger brother Moissés (10), mother Yusmani, father Deivid; Venezuela quakes 24 June: 7.2 and 7.5; Colombia quake: 7.4. Venezuelan government reported more than 6,300 dead after the June quakes; Colombian authorities reported hundreds of fatalities in the later event.
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