A 43-year-old security guard trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed shopping mall following the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela has been rescued alive after more than 100 hours, in what rescue teams described as an extraordinary operation.
Hernan Alberto Gil Flores was trapped when the Galerías Playa Grande shopping mall in La Guaira collapsed during the twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
The rescue operation involved emergency teams from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the United States, Portugal, and Mexico, who worked continuously through unstable debris, aftershocks, and heavy rainfall to reach the survivor.
After establishing contact with Gil Flores over the weekend, rescuers managed to keep him alive by supplying water and liquid nutrients through a narrow tube while carefully excavating two access tunnels due to the instability of the collapsed structure.
According to rescue officials, Gil Flores survived because a reinforced section of the building remained largely intact, creating a small air pocket that shielded him from the falling debris.
As rescuers finally pulled him from the rubble on a stretcher, wearing an oxygen mask, emergency workers and onlookers applauded the successful rescue.
He was immediately transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he is receiving medical treatment.
The dramatic rescue has become a powerful symbol of hope following the twin earthquakes that devastated northern Venezuela, where more than 2,200 people have been confirmed dead and over 11,000 others have been injured.
