In brief
In the northern Venezuelan town of Caraballeda, a 12‑year‑old girl was trapped beneath collapsed walls for 32 hours following a 7.5‑magnitude earthquake on 24 June. With no food and limited oxygen, she kept surviving on small finds of ketchup and grated cheese in the debris, while neighbours and volunteers listened for her voice. Rescue teams first tried to dig in, then received help from a volunteer named Viktor who connected with the trapped child. Eventually a tunnel was created, and the girl walked out to the arms of her mother. The ordeal highlights the scale of destruction and the resilience of the people affected by the disaster.
On the morning of 24 June a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the coastal town of Caraballeda in northern La Guaira state. The shaking hit the residents of a 10‑storey building where a 12‑year‑old girl named Fabiana lived with her mother Karina Blanco.
During the tremor the walls collapsed and the girl was thrown to the floor. She found herself beneath a pile of concrete and stone, with the roof almost touching her face. For the next 32 hours she endured isolation, darkness, and the narrowing of breathable air.
While trapped, Fabiana remembered the first objects that sparked her awareness. She pushed through rubble to locate a bottle of ketchup and a small packet of grated cheese. The salt and little sugars gave her enough energy to keep her mind alive for the long hours.
The city’s emergency response began after local residents and firefighters reached the site. They stumped over the rubble but could not access the building to find the child. An anxious mother was led through shells of broken hallways, screaming for a sign of life.
A volunteer named Viktor was later on the scene and called to the position where his voice could resonate. His words reached the girl, and she responded with a weak voice, assuring him that she survived. Her reply, recorded on her phone, spread quickly among rescue crews and became a beacon of hope.
Saved by a dedicated rescue crew, a narrow opening was carved into the wreckage at 02:00 local time. The workers guided Fabiana out, and she fell into the arms of her mother. The scene of the rescued teenager, smiling through a crack in the debris, captured on video, moved the community emotionally and spread across social media.
Karina is now living with her grandmother, but the building remains shattered and the neighborhood continues to grieve. She indicated that days will pass before they can truly recover, but the survival of her daughter brings a glimmer of hope to the survivors.
The entire event underscores the magnitude of the 2026 earthquakes and the resilience of the Venezuelan people who endure the hardships caused by such disasters.
