Week-Long Rubble Rescue
Security Guard Miraculously Rescued from Venezuela Rubble a Week After Devastating Earthquakes
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A 44-year-old security guard has been pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed shopping mall in Venezuela — eight days after two massive earthquakes killed at least 2,295 people along the country's northern coast US News. Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was trapped in a basement security cabin beneath the seven-story GalerÃas Playa Grande mall in Catia La Mar, in the state of La Guaira, when rescue teams finally reached him on Thursday morning after 70 hours of active digging.
About 38,600 people remain listed as missing on unofficial online lists, according to Yahoo News. The U.S. Geological Survey has warned that the final death toll could exceed 10,000.
Eight Days Trapped in a Mall Basement
Gil Flores survived because his small security workstation cabin created a protective pocket inside the collapsed building. A Costa Rican Red Cross team first detected signs of life on June 28 and made contact with him. Rescuer Minyar Collado recalled that Gil's first request was heartbreaking: "When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, just in case he wouldn't make it," according to MarketScreener.
Teams then dug two separate tunnels to reach him, feeding water and fluids through tubes while working around dangerously unstable wreckage. Manny Sampang, the task force leader from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, described the stakes clearly: "I have multiple buildings leaning into that building... It is a very complex rescue," US News reported.
Seven Nations Worked Together to Save One Man
The extraction drew rescue teams from Chile, El Salvador, the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele posted frequent updates on X throughout the operation, describing the structural instability and the need for two separate tunnels Yahoo News.
Gil's wife, Gusbimar González, described the rescue as a miracle. "I'm completely amazed because it's the first time I've seen so many countries come together like this to save a single person," she said, according to US News. He was taken to a Red Cross ambulance after his extraction Thursday morning.
A Rare Earthquake Doublet Devastated Venezuela's Coast
The disaster began on June 24 when two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within 39 seconds of each other — a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock. Both struck at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometers, producing violent shaking rated MMI IX. The quakes ruptured the San Sebastián fault system, which sits along the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates.
The confirmed death toll stands at 2,295, with 11,267 people injured, according to MarketScreener. The UN Development Programme estimates physical damage at $6.7 billion. Experts say Venezuela's poorly built housing — much of it unreinforced brick and concrete — collapsed quickly, with buildings "pancaking" floor by floor.
Civilians Led the Rescue While Official Response Lagged
In the days right after the quake, residents of La Guaira reported that government heavy machinery failed to arrive. Neighbors dug through rubble with bare hands, MarketScreener reported. Some residents accused Venezuelan military units of looting financial assets from ruins instead of helping survivors.
The U.S. pledged over $300 million in disaster aid and deployed search and rescue teams. The disaster has also forced the return of NGOs that had been restricted under 2024 laws. With nearly 38,600 people still unaccounted for, rescue teams remain on the ground across the hardest-hit areas of La Guaira and Caracas.
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