On Wednesday, rescue workers recovered the body of Lucas Gámez, a nine-year-old Argentine boy, from the debris of a residential building in La Guaira, Venezuela, ending a two-week search that had drawn international attention. The Argentine foreign ministry confirmed the discovery, which was made by a Brazilian search-and-rescue team working in the coastal state hardest hit by the double earthquake on 24 June.

Gámez, born in Buenos Aires to Venezuelan parents, had been visiting the Miramar building with his uncle when the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude tremors struck, causing the structure to collapse. He had spent the day at the beach and returned minutes before the first quake. His family, who had relocated from Argentina to Venezuela in January, maintained a vigil at the site throughout the search. On the day of the discovery, his mother had posted a request for prayers on social media and announced she was stepping back from online platforms after receiving critical comments.

While most accounts state the boy was with his uncle, one local report claimed he was found embracing his grandparents, a detail not corroborated by other sources. The exact location of the pair inside the building remains unclear; a survivor who rode the same elevator reported that Gámez and his uncle exited on the third floor, but the collapse pattern complicated efforts to pinpoint them. Rescuers had earlier detected a heat signature and a mobile phone signal at a depth of 10 metres, though these leads did not result in a live recovery.

The earthquakes devastated La Guaira and surrounding areas, killing at least 3,600 people and injuring more than 16,000, according to official figures. International rescue teams, including Argentine military and civilian brigades, were deployed to assist. The Argentine government, which lacks diplomatic representation in Caracas, sent a consular humanitarian mission to support its citizens affected by the disaster. The search for other missing persons continues.