Venezuela earthquake: 44-year-old man trapped in mall rubble rescued alive after nearly 8 days — ‘Endured like a warrior’ | Today’s news

Venezuela earthquake: Rescue workers pulled a 44-year-old man alive from the rubble of a shopping center where he worked in La Guaira state, more than a week after two strong earthquakes struck the country’s northern coast.

Twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck less than a minute apart nearly eight days earlier, ravaging Venezuela’s northern coast. According to the latest official figures, the disaster claimed 2,295 lives.

The survivor, identified as security guard Hernan Alberto Gil, was trapped under the collapsed nine-story Galerias Playa Grande mall. Rescue efforts to reach him began Monday, according to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who shared regular updates on X about the multinational operation involving teams from Chile, the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela.

During the rescue, rescuers kept Gil hydrated through a tube while carefully digging out the unstable debris. Due to dangerous conditions inside the collapsed structure, crews were forced to dig two separate access tunnels before they could safely reach and free it.

After spending more than a week trapped under a collapsed shopping mall, Hernan Alberto Gil was pulled from the rubble on a stretcher Thursday morning and rushed to a waiting ambulance as rescue workers and journalists applauded the successful operation.

Read also | Horror after the earthquake in Venezuela: Volunteers with their bare hands race to save lives

According to Reuters, Gusbimar Gonzalez, Gil’s wife, said: “I am grateful to God that he kept him alive for so many days. He endured it all like a warrior.”

The number of people still listed as missing in a widely monitored unofficial online registry had dropped to about 38,600 by Thursday, down from a peak of nearly 60,000 immediately after the quake.

Relief efforts

The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. A UN envoy said 10,000 body bags had been procured for Venezuela, while the US Geological Survey warned the final death toll could exceed 10,000. Risk assessment firm Verisk also predicted the earthquake could cause economic losses of more than $10 billion.

Read also | Venezuela desperately searching for 50,000 missing after earthquake

International relief efforts have intensified, and Venezuela has received around 2,000 metric tons of humanitarian aid from foreign governments by Thursday, according to the country’s foreign ministry.

Since 1999, Venezuela’s socialist government has emphasized a policy of “civilian-military-police unity”, with senior security officials overseeing significant political and economic influence. State television frequently showed Interim President Delcy Rodríguez holding meetings with military and security leaders, while soldiers and police were deployed throughout La Guaira to patrol key routes and help direct traffic.

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Despite the visible presence of security forces, much of the emergency response was carried out by civilians, including large numbers of volunteers who played a central role in rescue and relief operations.

After the earthquake, grieving families spent days searching for relatives buried under the rubble, using their bare hands and shovels and picks. They were joined by firefighters, civil protection workers, international rescue teams, medical students, nurses, volunteers from professions such as teachers and veterinary medicine, and in some cases members of the military.

Several soldiers helping at the site of six collapsed residential towers in La Guaira’s main public housing complex told Reuters they had volunteered to take part in the rescue mission and were working with civilian responders.

Rescuers have repeatedly raised concerns about the lack of heavy equipment needed to remove the massive concrete slabs, saying a lack of machinery has slowed search and recovery efforts.

The oil minister reacts

Oil Minister Paula Henao announced Thursday that a shipment of diesel fuel was transported from the Paraguana refinery complex to La Guaira to support rescue operations. The delivery reinforced earlier government assurances that the earthquake caused only limited disruption to fuel terminals.

Meanwhile, authorities continued to inspect PDVSA’s Catia La Mar fuel terminal, located in one of the worst-affected areas, to assess whether the facility suffered any structural damage.

(With agency input)