Rescuers pull a 43-year-old security guard, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, alive from the basement of a collapsed shopping center in Venezuela’s La Guaira region, about eight days after twin earthquakes. Multiple outlets report that the man was trapped in rubble following the earthquakes that struck the coastal area and that rescue teams—including international personnel—carried out an extended operation that involved tunneling through debris and maintaining contact with him. France 24 reports rescuers established contact at the weekend and were able to pass him water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft. Other reports say a small security cabin helped him survive and that rescuers provided food and water while working for more than 100 hours. The rescue ends a long and difficult operation early Thursday and becomes a widely cited sign of hope amid the broader disaster. One outlet adds that the earthquakes’ toll has reached 2,295 deaths and that 38,600 people remain unaccounted for, underscoring the scale of the devastation even as the survivor is extracted.
Venezuelan security guard rescued alive after eight days trapped under quake rubble
Rescuers pull a 43-year-old security guard, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, alive from the basement of a collapsed shopping center in Venezuela’s La Guaira region, about eight days after twin earthquakes....
- Rescuers pull Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, a security guard, alive from a collapsed shopping center basement in Venezuela’s La Guaira region.
- He is trapped for about eight days after twin earthquakes.
- Rescue efforts involve international teams that tunnel through debris and sustain him with water and liquid nutrients via a narrow shaft.
- Contact with the survivor is reported to begin at the weekend, with supplies passed to him during the operation.
- The rescue follows widespread devastation from the earthquakes, with reported high death tolls and many unaccounted for.
A security guard, Hernan Alberto Gil Flores, miraculously survived eight days trapped under rubble after twin earthquakes in Venezuela. Rescuers, including international teams, painstakingly tunneled for over 100 hours, maintaining contact and providing sustenance. His survival, a beacon of hope amidst devastation, saw him emerge to a tearful reunion, offering immense relief to his family and a nation reeling from tragedy.
1 month agoRescue crews in Venezuela saved a 44-year-old man, Hernan Alberto Gil, from the rubble of a mall after he was trapped for over a week following twin earthquakes. The death toll has reached 2,295, with 38,600 still unaccounted for.
1 month agoA remarkable rescue unfolded in Venezuela as a 43-year-old security guard, Hernan Alberto Gil Flores, was pulled alive from a collapsed shopping center basement after eight days. Trapped since June 24, Gil's survival was a testament to his small, intact security cabin and the relentless efforts of international rescue teams who sustained him with food and water. His extraction marked a beacon of hope amidst widespread devastation.
1 month agoCATIA LA MAR/LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Rescuers dug out a 44-year-old survivor trapped in the ruins of the mall where he worked in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira, more than a week after two strong earthquakes devastated the country's northern coast. Work to save security guard Hernan Alberto Gil from the rubble of the nine-story Galerias Playa Grande shopping center began on Monday, according to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who has been posting updates on X about the operation that also involved teams from Chile, the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Rescuers provided him with hydration via tubing, according to Bukele, but needed to dig two separate tunnels to reach him, because of the instability of the ruins. Gil was carried out of the rubble on a stretcher on Thursday morning and loaded into an ambulance as cheering rescuers and reporters looked on. "I'm grateful to God for keeping him alive for so many days," said Gusbimar Gonzalez, Gil's wife. "He endured it all like a warrior." The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes struck less than a minute apart almost
1 month agoSearch-and-rescue teams have not given up in Venezuela, more than a week after the double earthquakes. On Thursday, a man was pulled out alive after being fed for days through a syringe, the only way to reach him through the rubble. Camilo Montoya-Galvez has the details.
1 month agoRescuers dug out a 44-year-old survivor trapped in the ruins of the mall where he worked in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira, more than a week after two strong earthquakes devastated the country's northern coast.
1 month ago
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