Man Rescued Alive from Venezuelan Earthquake Debris After 8 Days

Kathmandu, 19 Ashar. A man trapped for eight days under the rubble of a building collapsed by two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela has been rescued alive. Rescue workers safely extricated Hernan Gil, who was trapped beneath approximately 140 tons of debris, after more than 100 hours of locating his position. Since the twin earthquakes on June 24 in Venezuela, about 2,300 deaths have been confirmed, while tens of thousands remain missing. Search and rescue efforts continue.

A firefighter from Chile involved in Gil’s rescue described the operation as the most technically challenging rescue mission they have ever faced. Alan Madrigal, a paramedic with the Costa Rican Red Cross, reported that Gil was removed from the rubble in a “completely stable” condition. Madrigal was also the first to hear Gil’s faint voice inside the rubble on Sunday. “It was an extremely emotional moment,” he said. “At first, I could hardly believe my ears. I called a colleague and asked if I was just imagining it, to be sure.”

At the time of the earthquake, Gil was on duty in a small concrete security booth located in the basement of a parking structure next to the Galerias Playa Grande shopping mall in Catia La Mar. Initial reports indicate that the booth acted as a protective enclosure around him, helping him survive beneath approximately 140 tons of falling debris. During the rescue, Gil was provided with water, and medical personnel administered intravenous saline to him.

Gil has been described as an “enthusiastic and cheerful person.” After the rescue team established direct visual contact, they sent a small camera into the rubble. A Chilean firefighter on the video could be heard asking Gil to turn his head toward the camera. The footage showed one of his eyes red; he was wearing a mask supplied through a small opening by rescuers to protect him from dust and debris.