Deported Venezuelans missing after quake hits detention hotel

At least 146 people deported from the United States to Venezuela are missing or dead after two deadly earthquakes struck soon after their arrival, Al Jazeera reported. The report said the group had been held in a hotel after landing, and satellite images showed that the building later collapsed.

Al Jazeera reported that the deportation flight reached Venezuela only hours before the earthquakes hit last Wednesday. The group was then detained at a hotel, according to the outlet.

Satellite images reviewed in the report showed the hotel collapsed amid the wider destruction from the earthquakes. Al Jazeera said some of the deported Venezuelans have been confirmed dead, while many others remain unaccounted for.

The report did not give a full death toll for the group. It also did not identify how many of the 146 deported people had been located after the collapse.

The earthquakes were described by Al Jazeera as deadly. No additional details were given on the scale of the damage beyond the collapse of the hotel where the deported group had been detained.

The fate of the missing deportees remains unclear, according to Al Jazeera. The reported collapse has raised urgent questions about the condition of those who were placed in the hotel after being returned to Venezuela.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.