By Paul Joseph
A 43-year-old security guard has been rescued alive after spending eight days trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building following the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela.
The survivor, identified as Hernán Gil, was pulled from the wreckage on Thursday after an extraordinary multinational rescue operation in Catia La Mar, in La Guaira State, one of the areas hardest hit by the June 24 disaster.
Rescuers from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States spent more than 100 hours carefully tunnelling through an estimated 140 tonnes of debris before finally reaching Gil.
The rescue was described by a Chilean firefighter as one of the most technically challenging operations he had ever undertaken, with access tunnels collapsing several times during the painstaking mission.
Rescue teams established visual contact with Gil before freeing him, using a small camera inserted through the rubble. They had previously supplied him with water, a face mask, protective goggles and intravenous fluids to help him survive while efforts to reach him continued.
Ricardo Arias of the Costa Rican Red Cross said Gil was in stable condition and had remarkably escaped serious injuries despite being buried beneath the collapsed structure.
“He told us he doesn’t even have a crushed nail. He is fine,” Arias said.
Marco Antonio Franco of the Mexican Red Cross described Gil as cheerful throughout the ordeal, saying the survivor kept rescuers motivated by chatting with them about his family and even requesting hydration drinks in his favourite flavours.
Gil had been on duty inside a small concrete security booth in the basement parking area next to the Galerias Playa Grande shopping centre when the powerful earthquakes struck. Officials believe the reinforced booth acted as a protective shell, shielding him from the massive amount of debris that collapsed around him.
The dramatic rescue comes as Venezuela continues to grapple with the aftermath of the disaster, which has claimed at least 2,300 lives, while tens of thousands of people remain missing.
Emergency responders are continuing search-and-rescue operations across affected communities as hopes of finding more survivors grow increasingly slim.
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