A multinational rescue frees Hernán, trapped eight days under Venezuela's quake rubble
Key takeaways
- Gil, who worked as a guard in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall, survived by sheltering under the desk of his booth when the building collapsed.
- #EnVideo Im genes del rescate de Hern n Gil luego de una semana bajo los escombros en La Guaira. #2Jul pic.twitter.com/fIW2fWuWlg
- Teams from seven countries took part in the rescue —Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico— along with brigades that had helped on previous days.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
A 43-year-old Venezuelan security guard, Hern n Gil, was rescued alive on Thursday after eight days trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Catia La Mar, in La Guaira state, during the twin earthquake that struck the country on June 24. The Costa Rican Red Cross, which took part in the operation, confirmed the rescue, considered one of the most complex and prolonged of the disaster, which has left at least 2,295 dead and more than 11,000 injured, according to the official toll.
Gil, who worked as a guard in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall, survived by sheltering under the desk of his booth when the building collapsed. He remained for nearly 200 hours in a cubicle on the second underground level, blocked by rubble and an unstable ceiling. His voice was first heard on Sunday, some 100 hours after the quakes, by a Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer during an inspection of the structure, which set off a race against the clock.
#EnVideo Im genes del rescate de Hern n Gil luego de una semana bajo los escombros en La Guaira. #2Jul pic.twitter.com/fIW2fWuWlg