Rescue of security guard after 8 days

A 43-year-old security guard was pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed shopping center in Venezuela on Thursday, ending a grueling eight-day ordeal that has become a symbol of hope after twin earthquakes devastated the country. Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was rescued from the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal state of La Guaira, where he had been trapped since the quakes struck on June 24.

Gil Flores, who was working a night shift, was inside his small security booth when the first tremor hit. While the surrounding concrete structure collapsed, his booth held ground, shielding him from debris and creating a vital pocket of air. Rescuers first detected signs of life over the weekend and used a telescopic camera to maintain contact, passing water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft to keep him alive.

The operation was coordinated by an urban search and rescue team of Chilean firefighters, who worked with specialist teams from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, and other countries. Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado told the Associated Press that when they found him, Gil Flores asked them not to tell his wife he was alive, in case he didn't make it. His wife, Gusbimar González, said she had days of despair before rescuers made contact, but that "when I learned he was alive, I saw a ray of light in the darkness."

Rescuers navigated highly unstable structural conditions, torrential rain, and aftershocks to reach him. Chilean firefighter Exequiel Gallardo described it as "the most complex and technically difficult" operation he had faced in 22 years, according to the BBC. The rescue teams, carrying flags from across the world, cheered as Gil Flores was carried on a stretcher into a Red Cross ambulance.

The earthquakes, which measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed nearly 2,300 people and injured more than 11,000, with tens of thousands still missing, according to reports. The disaster has also prompted international aid efforts, with the US government mobilizing $150 million in humanitarian assistance, as reported by Fox News, and the World Food Programme appealing for $50 million to feed 500,000 people, according to The Guardian.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, whose country's teams participated in the rescue, praised the survivor's "extraordinary strength and resilience" on X, noting that he was receiving medical care.

Key Claims

  • A 43-year-old security guard was rescued from a collapsed shopping center in Venezuela after being trapped for eight days following twin earthquakes.
  • The rescue operation was led by Chilean firefighters and included teams from several countries, including Costa Rica, the United States, Portugal, and Mexico.
  • The twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, respectively.
  • The earthquakes killed more than 2,200 people and injured over 11,000 others.
  • The US government has mobilized $150 million in humanitarian aid to help Venezuela respond to the disaster.
  • The World Food Programme has appealed for $50 million to feed 500,000 people in Venezuela.