Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement in the coastal town of La Guaira early on Thursday, ending a gruelling eight-day operation that became a rare symbol of hope after twin earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela.
Hernán Alberto Gil Flores emerged covered in dust on a stretcher, surrounded by helmet-clad rescue workers, after being trapped since 24 June under the rubble of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping centre. The rescue, coordinated by teams from Chile, the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Venezuela, involved more than 100 hours of painstaking work through unstable structures, torrential rain, and persistent aftershocks.
A Small Miracle Amid Tragedy
The rescue was hailed as a small miracle in a week marked by overwhelming loss. The twin quakes, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, destroyed tens of thousands of buildings across northern Venezuela, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring over 11,000. La Guaira state was the hardest-hit region.
Gil Flores, a night-shift security guard, was inside his small security cabin when the first violent tremor struck. While the surrounding concrete structure collapsed, his cabin held, shielding him from crushing debris and creating a vital pocket of air. Rescuers first detected signs of life on Sunday, using a telescopic camera to maintain contact and passing water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft to keep him hydrated.
“When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, just in case he wouldn’t make it,” said Minyar Collado, a Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer. “We were never going to leave him here.”
His wife, Gusbimar González, told the AP that she grappled with despair for days before learning of the contact. “When I learned he was alive, I saw a ray of light in the darkness,” she said. The couple has two children, aged eight and ten.
The operation was led by an urban search and rescue team of Chilean firefighters, working around the clock with international partners. María Paz Campos, a veteran firefighter from Chile, talked Gil Flores through the final excruciating hours, keeping him calm. In a video published before the rescue, he is seen drawing to pass the time, with Campos gently instructing him to wear protective goggles.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez celebrated the rescue on social media, writing: “We celebrate the greatness of humanity, when it is united for a single purpose: to save another. Thank you to our rescuers and to the support of the international rescuers.” The government has faced criticism for what many Venezuelans say has been an inadequate crisis response.
The European Union deployed rescue teams to Venezuela after the quakes, as reported in EU Deploys Rescue Teams to Venezuela After Devastating Earthquakes. The international effort underscores the solidarity that often emerges in the wake of such disasters, with teams from across the globe converging on the affected region.
For the people of La Guaira, the rescue of Gil Flores offered a fleeting moment of joy. As he was carried to an ambulance, teams carrying flags from around the world cheered. A Chilean rescuer pumped his fist in joy; men in red Costa Rican Red Cross uniforms embraced and laughed in relief. The operation, which kept Gil Flores alive far beyond the typical 48- to 72-hour survival window, stands as a testament to the determination of rescue workers and the resilience of the human spirit.
