Three-year-old rescued and taken to hospital six days after Venezuela quake

Lead

A three-year-old boy was rescued alive from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela six days after the country was hit by two powerful earthquakes, according to multiple reports. The child, named as Kleiber Moran (also spelled Klieber Morán in some accounts), was pulled from the Los Corales Garden 1 building in the northern La Guaira state by a Jordanian rescue team. Video footage from the scene showed rescuers cheering as the child was extracted. After receiving first aid, he was taken to a hospital, where his vital signs were reported to be good, according to the Jordanian civil defence. The rescue has been described as a moment of hope by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who shared the news on Telegram.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from ABC Australia, BBC World, and TASS English each highlighted the rescue of the three-year-old, though they offered differing details and figures. ABC Australia emphasized the humanitarian crisis and the preliminary estimate of almost 60,000 buildings destroyed or partially damaged. BBC World reported that the death toll from the quakes had risen to 1,943, with more than 10,000 injured and tens of thousands unaccounted for. In contrast, TASS reported a higher death toll of 2,295 in one account and 1,719 in another, the latter also mentioning 5,034 injuries. The variance in death toll figures is significant, with no single number confirmed across all reports.

Key Claims

• A three-year-old boy was pulled alive from the rubble six days after the earthquakes, as reported by ABC Australia, BBC World, and TASS. He was rescued by a Jordanian rescue team, a claim consistent across all three outlets.

• The death toll from the earthquakes is contested: TASS reported 2,295 deaths in one article and 1,719 in another, while BBC World reported 1,943. Each source cites official data, but the numbers vary widely.

• More than 10,000 people were injured, according to BBC World. TASS reported 5,034 injured in one account, while another TASS article reported a figure of 2,295 deaths and 5,034 injuries.

• Tens of thousands of people are unaccounted for, as reported by BBC World.

• Approximately 58,870 buildings were probably damaged or destroyed, based on an initial assessment of satellite data from NASA, as reported by BBC World. ABC Australia also cited preliminary estimates of almost 60,000 buildings destroyed or partially damaged.

• The UN warned that tens of thousands of people were urgently in need of food and shelter, as reported by BBC World. The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) also noted food shortages, broken basic services, and severed communications in La Guaira, and the UNHCR stated that it needs an initial $15 million to support 30,000 affected people over six months.

• A second rescue was reported by TASS on July 2: Portuguese rescuers found a survivor trapped under the rubble seven days after the earthquake, as announced by José Manuel Moura, President of the National Civil Protection Emergency Authority.

• The earthquakes damaged or compromised 38 hospitals nationwide, as reported by ABC Australia.

Perspectives

• Venezuelan authorities: Acting President Delcía Rodríguez described the child's rescue as a moment of hope, while National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said, "We must hold onto the hope of continuing to find people alive beneath the rubble." He also noted that 6,461 people had been rescued since the quake struck.

• United Nations: The UN and its agencies warned that tens of thousands of people urgently need food and shelter, and UNHCR highlighted rising community tensions as access to assistance remains constrained in La Guaira.

• Rescue teams: The Jordanian civil defence provided details of the child's rescue, confirming he received first aid and was taken to hospital. Portuguese rescue authorities also reported their own successful rescue of a man after seven days, as communicated by José Manuel Moura.

• Affected individuals: An injured La Guaira resident, Daniela Armas, described the distribution of supplies, saying, "Sometimes people nearly kill each other for food... it's like a cockfight."