In brief
In the deadly twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, a security guard named Hernán Gil was trapped under 140 tonnes of collapsed building debris. Rescuers worked relentlessly for more than 100 hours across international teams to safely extract him. After eight days, he emerged alive, receiving a heartfelt visit from Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The quakes have claimed 2,595 lives and left tens of thousands missing.
Rescuers, bolstered by teams from Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States, worked relentlessly for more than 100 hours to free him from a concrete booth that had formed a crude shelter for him amid the collapse.
When he was finally pulled onto a stretcher, he was breathing, wearing a neck collar and wrapped in an orange blanket, and stared bloodshot-eyed at rescuers who had passed a face mask to protect him from the dust.
His survival is being described as a \living miracle\ by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who visited him in the hospital and posted a video to social media. As of Thursday evening, 2,595 people had died in the seismics, with tens of thousands still missing.
International experts praised the technical complexity of the rescue, noting that several access shafts collapsed during the effort, adding danger to both the victim and the rescuers.
Gil remained cheerful throughout, even requesting particular flavours of hydration drinks, and praised the international team’s patience and care.
The event underscores the crisis facing Venezuela’s emergency response system and the need for robust disaster relief cooperation.
