A man has been pulled alive from beneath nearly 30 feet of rubble eight days after two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela.
Rescuers freed 44-year-old Hernán Alberto Gil Flores on Thursday after a grueling 70-hour operation at the remains of a collapsed shopping mall parking garage in La Guaira.
Gil, who worked as a security guard at the mall, had been trapped beneath layers of concrete and debris since the nine-story building came crashing down.
Officials called the rescue nothing short of miraculous.
According to Chile’s fire brigade, which helped lead the international operation, Gil was in good condition when he was finally brought to safety.
“He has now been transferred to a medical facility,” the department said in a post on X.
Gil’s wife, Gusbimar Gonzales, said she had spent days fearing the worst.
“But once I found out that he was alive, I saw a ray of sunshine,” she told CNN shortly before her husband was rescued. “He was holding up like a hero.”
She said the couple’s children were waiting for him to come home.
Video released by rescuers showed the moment a search camera first spotted Gil inside the collapsed basement on Wednesday.
His fingers could be seen waving through a tiny gap between slabs of concrete.
Emergency crews began communicating with him and passed water, food and medication through a hose and syringe while teams worked to reach him.
Later footage showed Gil’s head and shoulders emerging from the rubble. He was wearing a protective mask and appeared to have a bloodshot eye, but he remained conscious and able to speak.
The rescue was described as highly dangerous because the damaged building remained unstable and debris continued falling around the crews.
Sebastián Mocorquer of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team said finding someone alive after a week is extremely rare.
“Only miraculous rescues have been achieved” after seven days, he said.
The first three days after an earthquake are often called the “golden window,” when trapped survivors have the greatest chance of being found alive. After that, survival rates fall sharply, especially without access to water.
Rescue teams were first alerted Sunday that someone might still be alive beneath the Galerias Playa Grande shopping mall.
Using radar, sonar and sound-detection equipment, crews were able to confirm a survivor was trapped inside.
Specialists from about half a dozen countries then spent three days digging a narrow passage through the wreckage while keeping Gil alive.
The Costa Rican Red Cross said he was given intravenous fluids, water and hydration solutions during the operation.
Video shared by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele showed a rescuer speaking with Gil and sending him an orange-colored drink through a hose.
“Are you hurt?” the rescuer asked.
“No, I’m not hurt,” Gil replied. “I’m just uncomfortable because of the rocks.”
Bukele said the operation was repeatedly threatened by tunnel collapses.
“Rescue teams from several countries have been working together tirelessly to stabilize the tunnel, shoring it up, reinforcing it and isolating it,” he said.
La Guaira was among the areas hit hardest by the earthquakes. Rescue operations remain underway, with residents and emergency workers using shovels, pickaxes and even their bare hands to search through collapsed buildings.
Officials said at least 2,295 people had died as of Wednesday, though the true number is feared to be much higher.
One forensic pathologist working in La Guaira said a temporary morgue was receiving hundreds of bodies each day.
Amid the devastation, Gil’s survival has become a rare symbol of hope.
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