Key facts
- A 43-year-old security guard, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, was rescued alive from a collapsed basement in Venezuela.
- He was trapped for eight days following twin earthquakes that struck on June 24.
- The rescue operation involved international teams and lasted over 100 hours.
- The earthquakes registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, causing widespread destruction and over 2,200 deaths.
- La Guaira state was the hardest-hit region in the country.
A 43-year-old security guard, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, was pulled alive from a collapsed basement eight days after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela. The rescue, described as a miracle, concluded a gruelling operation involving international teams.
Gil Flores had been trapped since June 24 in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping centre in La Guaira state, the country's hardest-hit region. Rescuers worked for over 100 hours, navigating unstable structures, torrential rain, and aftershocks to reach him.
The earthquakes, which registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, destroyed tens of thousands of buildings, killed more than 2,200 people, and injured over 11,000.
Specialised teams, including firefighters from Chile and support from the US, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Venezuela, coordinated the complex rescue. Gil Flores was kept alive by food and water supplied by rescuers.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez celebrated the rescue on social media, acknowledging the international support amidst criticism of the government's crisis response.