Lithuanian rescuers recall final night of hope in Venezuela earthquake mission

Lithuanian rescuers working in Venezuela after a devastating earthquake remembered clinging to hope until the very end, even as the window for finding survivors narrowed, LRT.lt reports.

“On the last night, we all still believed in a miracle,” said Žaneta Kaščiukaitienė, a specialist from Lithuania’s Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD) and one of two Lithuanian women on the mission in Venezuela. The team worked in Guaira, the city hardest hit by the earthquake, where residents had already endured deadly floods in 1999.

“You had to adjust your eyes and understand that this wasn’t a movie, that you weren’t watching it on TV. People were left without homes, with tents set up on the rubble, holding their children. We walked to the sea—beautiful, blue water, waves—and then turned to see the collapsed buildings. The contrast was striking: such a beautiful country, and such a tragedy,” Kaščiukaitienė told LRT.lt.

The first 72 hours after an earthquake are considered the golden window for finding survivors. Though Lithuania’s team arrived later, they continued searching until the mission’s final day. Typically, relatives indicate where a person might have been in a collapsed structure, followed by search dogs, sensors detecting signs of life, and then the careful removal of debris.

“Officially, the active rescue phase was over, but we saw other teams still going out to work. The rescuers worked in shifts, still searching. The chance of finding someone alive was already very small, but on the last night, we all still believed in a miracle,” Kaščiukaitienė recalled.

The Lithuanian team recovered seven bodies during the mission. Among the most difficult moments was finding a family—a father, mother, and one-year-old child—who had not survived. Yet even in these cases, Kaščiukaitienė noted the gratitude of locals, who were at least able to properly say goodbye to their loved ones.

Lithuania maintains a reserve of around 60 international rescue firefighters, ready to deploy at any time. In 2023, Lithuanian rescuers also participated in a mission in Turkey, with some of the same team later traveling to Venezuela. Future plans include involvement in forest fire suppression operations.

The team brought two search dogs, medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and rescue equipment, including gasoline-powered cutters. They were fully self-sufficient, setting up their own tents. Even the Israeli rescue team borrowed Lithuanian equipment and a search dog.

Travel to Venezuela was grueling, involving a bus journey to Germany followed by a flight. Medical personnel on such missions are prepared to assist not only victims but also the rescuers themselves, as working conditions are harsh—temperatures in the communications tent reached 40°C, causing some equipment to malfunction.