He died in Venezuela’s earthquakes a day after the US deported him. Now his mother is seeking justice
A Mother’s Search for Justice After Her Son’s Tragic Death in Venezuela’s Quakes
He died in Venezuela s earthquakes – Just twenty-four hours after being sent back to Venezuela from the United States, Daniel Núñez lost his life when devastating earthquakes struck his homeland. His mother, Oswadeliz Núñez, is now fighting to understand what happened and ensure her son’s story is told.
The Final Call and the Hotel Collapse
Daniel had returned to Venezuela on the very day the twin earthquakes devastated the country. From La Guaira, he managed to reach his mother using a phone belonging to an officer from Venezuela’s intelligence service, known as SEBIN. Through that call, he shared details about his journey and what awaited him.
He told me, ‘No, Mom, we’re here with SEBIN officers,’
According to Oswadeliz, Daniel explained that he and other deported individuals had already received meals and medical checkups. They were scheduled to spend the night at a hotel in Macuto while officials completed the necessary paperwork for their return. The following day, Daniel planned to embark on a nearly seven-hour journey to El Tigre, where his mother waited.
That reunion never materialized. Approximately forty minutes after what would become Daniel’s final conversation with his mother, powerful tremors shook the region. The hotel where he was staying collapsed completely, burying numerous guests beneath tons of concrete and debris.
Flight Details and the Human Toll
The deportation flight that carried Daniel departed from Miami and touched down at Simón Bolívar International Airport at 10:22 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the same day the earthquakes occurred. Data from Venezuelan authorities and ICE Flight Monitor—a Human Rights First initiative monitoring deportation flights—revealed that 146 individuals traveled on that flight: 120 men, 19 women, and seven children.
On that same Wednesday, Venezuela’s Vuelta a la Patria program, meaning “Return to the Homeland,” celebrated the arrival of Flight 164. Officials announced that passengers had been welcomed “with dignity” and placed under “all necessary protocols” to guarantee “a happy reunion in our nation.” Unfortunately, this joyous occasion proved fleeting for many aboard that flight.
Unconfirmed accounts indicate that as many as twelve deportees perished alongside Daniel that day, though the exact number remains uncertain. Across Venezuela, the catastrophic events claimed thousands of lives and forced thousands more to flee their homes.
The Search for Daniel
After the earthquakes subsided, Oswadeliz attempted to reach government authorities for information about her son. She received little assistance. Determined to find answers, she traveled to La Guaira, where she joined friends and relatives in a desperate search through hospitals, clinics, and morgues.
We slept two or three hours at a time and kept searching. We’d go into hospitals with eight, nine, 10 floors, climb every floor and check room by room,
The exhausting search continued until Monday, when Oswadeliz returned to the disaster zone convinced that Daniel had not survived and that his remains still lay beneath the rubble. Government officials eventually guided her to a port facility that had been converted into an emergency morgue following the discovery of countless bodies in the days after the earthquakes.
When we went to retrieve my son’s body, there was complete chaos, bodies were lying on the floor,
At last, Oswadeliz located a body matching the identification number she had been given. It was Daniel, though his face bore little resemblance to the son she remembered.
Daniel’s face was completely crushed; you could see his bones,
Recognition Through a Tattoo
Oswadeliz’s nephew carefully cleaned Daniel’s left arm, which remained relatively intact. That is when they spotted something familiar.
We saw his tattoo. When he got that tattoo, I argued with him. But now I thank God he got it, because that’s practically how I was able to recognize him.
The tattoo, which had caused a disagreement between mother and son when Daniel was twenty-four, ultimately proved crucial in identifying his remains.
Bureaucratic Hurdles and a Mother’s Resolve
Even as grief overwhelmed her, Oswadeliz faced administrative obstacles. Officials informed her that cremation and burial would cost nothing, but families would need to wait between ten and thirty days for the process to complete.
They told me the cremation and burial would be free, but that we’d have to wait anywhere from 10 to 30 days,
Unable to endure such a lengthy wait, Oswadeliz paid $680 to a private crematorium to accelerate the proceedings.
We couldn’t afford to stay there any longer, spending more money and time. We’re not from La Guaira.
After receiving Daniel’s ashes, Oswadeliz began the journey back to her hometown.
We returned home on Wednesday — not the way I wanted, with my son alive — but at least I have his ashes.
Despite her profound loss, Oswadeliz expressed gratitude for finding Daniel’s body, noting that many families continue searching for their loved ones.
CNN has reached out to Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and the Vuelta a la Patria program regarding Daniel’s case, seeking additional details about the flight passengers and the protocols implemented following the earthquakes. A response is pending.