Rescuers managed to rescue a 43-year-old security guard from a collapsed basement early Thursday, ending a grueling operation that had become a symbol of hope after the devastation caused by a double earthquake that hit Venezuela eight days earlier.
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Hernán Alberto Gil Flores managed to escape covered in dust on a stretcher surrounded by rescue workers wearing helmets after being trapped since June 24 under rubble in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal town of La Guaira.
Rescuers, who first made contact with Gil Flores at the weekend, worked more than 100 hours to free him, navigating highly unstable structures, heavy rain and persistent aftershocks to search for survivors.
Teams carrying flags from around the world cheered as rescuers carried Gil Flores, wearing an oxygen mask and covered in an orange tarp, through crowds of people to an ambulance where they checked his vital signs.
A Chilean rescuer carrying a stretcher clenched his fists in joy. A group of men in red Costa Rican Red Cross uniforms hugged and laughed with relief. The others applauded.
“When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, in case he didn’t survive,” said Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado, but his wife added, “We would never leave him here.”
The rescue was considered a minor miracle that made it through a week of tragedy. By giving Gil Flores food and water as they removed the concrete, rescue teams were able to keep him alive far longer than the 48 to 72 hours most operations set for finding survivors after a disaster, which is 48 to 72 hours.
Gil Flores, who worked as a night shift security guard at the complex, was inside his small security cabin when the first quake struck. While the surrounding concrete structure collapsed, the cabin remained, protecting it from crushing debris and creating an important air pocket.
A special team from the Costa Rican Red Cross first detected signs of life and made contact with him on Sunday.
His wife, Gusbimar González, told the AP news agency that she struggled with despair for days before hearing that rescue teams had made contact.
“When I found out he was alive, I saw a light in the darkness,” he said. The couple have two children, aged eight and 10.
The operation was coordinated by an urban search and rescue team consisting of Chilean firefighters, working around the clock with teams from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Venezuela.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez celebrated the rescue on social media at a time when her government has come under fire for what many Venezuelans say is an inadequate crisis response.
“We celebrate the greatness of humanity, when united for one goal: saving others. Thank you to our rescuers and for the support of international rescuers,” he wrote in a post on X.
The team used a telescopic camera to help maintain constant contact with Gil Flores, flowing water and liquid nutrients through narrow openings to keep him hydrated during the final three days of the rescue.
María Paz Campos, a veteran firefighter from Chile, guided him through the entire operation and kept him calm during the excruciating final hours on Thursday.
In a video published by Chilean firefighters hours before the rescue, Gil Flores can be seen drawing, as if to pass the time. Campos then gently told him to look at the camera and wear protective glasses.
“I want you to keep your glasses on, for small falling particles, so they don’t get in your eyes,” Campos told the survivors.
The collapse of the building was triggered by two consecutive earthquakes on June 24, each measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale.
The shallow and powerful shaking damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of buildings in northern Venezuela, killing more than 2,200 people, injuring more than 11,000 and making La Guaira state the most affected region in the country.
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