'Don't Take Me Out': A Father's Heartbreaking Choice in the Vargas Tragedy Involving His Daughters – Video and Story

December 1999 is a date burned into Venezuela's collective memory as one of the darkest moments in its history. The state of Vargas was absolutely ravaged by torrential rains, which unleashed deadly landslides and floods.

In just 72 hours, the Vargas tragedy left thousands dead, entire communities wiped out, and a country plunged into grief and uncertainty. Amidst this horror, a story emerged that was as heart-wrenching as it was powerful.

A father, buried alongside his two young daughters, had the chance to be rescued. But when he learned his daughters wouldn't make it out alive, he chose to stay with them until the very end. His haunting words became an eternal symbol of the purest love and most poignant sacrifice.

The Most Devastating Natural Disaster

The event known as the Vargas tragedy occurred between December 14 and December 16, 1999. In that short period, Venezuela's coastal state was devastated by rains that exceeded 911 millimeters per square meter.

This figure was equivalent to the average annual rainfall, according to data accumulated over the previous 87 years. In other words, it rained in three days what would normally fall in a year.

The consequences were catastrophic. According to the International Red Cross, an estimated 15,000 to 50,000 people died, while more than 75,000 families lost everything.

Eight of the eleven parishes in Vargas state were severely affected. According to architect Marco Negrón, more than 5,300 buildings were completely destroyed, and some 2,600 suffered partial damage. Eighty percent of the local population was directly impacted.

Leidy Crespo, a survivor from the Llano Adentro neighborhood, recounted that at 5:30 a.m. on December 16, a massive wave of mud and debris swept everything away. "It was like being in a movie. I’ll never forget it," she said.

The next morning, the town was covered in mud, bodies, and destruction. "You would be walking, and a buried body would appear. I can still remember the cries of people looking for their family members," she recounted.

A Father's Choice

In this context of pain and desperation, one scene, captured in a harrowing video, stood out. A father, whose name was not disclosed, was found still alive by rescuers, buried in the mud almost up to his neck.

As they tried to free him, he wept and uttered a phrase that baffled everyone. "Don't take me out," he said. One of the firefighters calmly replied, "Take it easy."

But the man's following words left everyone speechless. "It's just that I'm holding my two daughters by the hands," he sobbed. The video can be found below.

The girls were dead under the mud, but he would not let go. This moment that continues to be widely shared today became an eternal symbol of love and sacrifice. Ultimately, the man was rescued.

His story moved the country and, more than two decades later, continues to move millions, remembered in songs, documentaries, and the accounts of survivors.

The Story Behind a Song

Venezuelan music maestro Porfi Baloa heard the powerful story of the father from the man himself, who was an acquaintance of his. The artist recalled how the man described being found alive by rescuers, screaming at them not to pull him out because he was holding his daughters' hands.

Years later, Baloa saw the grief-stricken father again. The man showed him a photo and said, "Look, here's my baby, he's with me." Moved by the encounter, the singer went home and composed the song "Recuerdos (Memories)," inspired by this indescribable act of love.

Reconstruction and Aftermath

Despite enormous rebuilding efforts, the tragedy left indelible scars. Crespo recalled that she spent six months in a shelter and that, even today, she has emotional scars. "If water hits the roof, even just a few drops, it torments me. Or if a faucet is left on. It unnerves me. I close it immediately," she said.

According to the National Housing Council (Conavi), reconstruction expenses reached $830 million, although other official figures double that amount. Beyond the money, the collective trauma remains latent.

Photographer Daril Jiménez, author of the documentary "Cuando El Cerro Se Vino Abajo (When the Hill Came Down)," sought to pay tribute to the survivors. During his filming, he found testimonials like that of a man who lost his wife and son, and that of Crespo, who still lives in Vargas. "We had to start from scratch, but we're still here," she stated proudly.

As the 26th anniversary of the Vargas tragedy nears, Venezuela still remembers the power of love in the face of adversity. The father who didn't want to be rescued, so he wouldn't let go of his daughters' hands, embodies the noblest part of the human spirit.

His story will live on in the collective memory and in every tear still shed upon remembering his unforgettable words. This tragedy not only plunged the victims' families into mourning, but also all of Venezuela, which still grieves over what happened.