Hernán Gil survived eight days buried under 140 tonnes of rubble after twin earthquakes ripped through the Catia La Mar area in Venezuela.
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.
