A man named Hernán Gil has been rescued alive, fifteen meters under collapsed rubble, after twin earthquakes struck the east coast of Venezuela on 23‑24 June. He had been trapped between 136 and 140 tonnes of debris for more than 100 hours, and emergency crews finally pulled him from the collapsed building’s basement by the outskirts of Catia La Mar.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez visited Gil in his hospital bed and called the rescue “a living miracle.” The rescue operation attracted teams from 7 nations, including Chilean firefighters and Costa Rican Red Cross paramedics. The teams reported that Gil had not suffered bruising or broken bones, and that he had even asked for drinks and joked with rescuers, sustaining a hopeful spirit through the ordeal.
As of Thursday, 2,595 people have been confirmed dead in the quakes, and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for. Rodríguez rejected criticism that the response had been slow, saying that thousands of officials had been deployed at once.
The emergency teams faced challenges as the rubble shifted and danger loomed. They dug for long hours, carefully using small cameras to check for movement and keep communication with Gil. Throughout, the rescuer in the basement lived in a small concrete booth that may have shielded him from the collapse, and was kept on a drip and given oxygen.
The rescue has become a rallying point for solidarity as community members and international partners minister aid to the ravaged region. With more than 2,600 victims and a merciless disaster log, the world watches as Venezuela navigates recovery and supports those abandoned in the darkness of the collapsed ruins.
