Rescuers have pulled a man from under the rubble of a nine-story building in Venezuela in eight days after the devastating twin earthquakes that hit the country.
Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, a security guard, was extracted safely in a“miraculous” operation after being trapped since June 24 under the rubble in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal town in La Guaira. Rescuers initially made contact with him over the weekend.
Teams carrying flags from across the world cheered as rescuers carried Gil, wearing an oxygen mask on a stretcher covered in an orange tarp, through throngs of people into a Red Cross ambulance.
The rescue was considered a miracle cutting through a week of tragedy. With teams sustaining him with food and water while they excavated the concrete, they were able to keep him alive far longer than the 48-to-72-hour threshold most rescue operations give to find survivors in disasters.
Gil Flores worked as a night-shift security guard at the complex, and was inside his small security cabin when the first violent tremor struck. While the surrounding concrete structure collapsed around him, his workstation cabin held ground, shielding him from crushing debris and creating a vital pocket of air.
A specialized team from the Costa Rican Red Cross first detected signs of life and established contact with him on Sunday. The rescue operation was coordinated by an urban search and rescue team of Chilean firefighters, who worked around the clock with specialized teams from the United States, Portugal and Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Venezuela.
The Chile Fire Department described the rescue operation as “highly complex” as the building remained unstable and teams had to contend with falling debris. Rescuers navigated a highly unstable structure, torrential rain and persistent aftershocks to tunnel down to the survivor.
They used a telescopic camera to help maintain constant contact with Gil Flores, passing water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft to keep him hydrated during the final three days of the extraction. María Paz Campos, a veteran firefighter from Chile, talked him through the entire operation, and kept him calm during the final excruciating hours of today, Thursday, July 2, 2026.
Rescuers were first alerted that someone may still be alive under the rubble of the Galerias Playa Grande shopping mall on Sunday, according to the Costa Rican Red Cross. The Chile Fire Department said that teams were able to confirm the presence of a survivor using radar sonar and sound detection equipment.
According to Chile’s fire brigade, Gil, who worked as a security guard at the mall, is in “good condition” after being rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building eight days after Venezuela’s twin earthquakes, It took 70 hours to rescue him, the fire brigade said in a statement, adding that he has been transferred to a medical facility.
Venezuelan Red Cross paramedic, Luis Rodríguez, who assisted with the rescue, said from the scene, “Fortunately, once we received Mr. Hernan in the ambulance, he was stable.” He added, “During the whole ride he was conscious, focused and collaborating, and all of his vital signs were within normal.”
Venezuela Hails Miraculous Rescue
Venezuela’s acting President, Delcy Rodríguez hailed the rescue.
“Today we celebrate the life of Hernán Gil. Thank you to the national and international rescue workers who gave their bodies, their time, and their souls to this mission.”
Delcy Rodríguez
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said that the operation to try to free Gil had been difficult as the tunnel rescuers had excavated had suffered several collapses. “Rescue teams from several countries have been working together tirelessly to stabilize the tunnel, shoring it up, reinforcing it and isolating it, but it has not been possible to hold it up,” he said.
The coastal city of La Guaira, where Gil was found, was one of the hardest-hit parts of the country from the two massive earthquakes, and rescue operations remain ongoing
The twin earthquakes damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of buildings across northern Venezuela, killing more than 2,200 people, injuring over 11,000 and leaving La Guaira state as the hardest-hit region in the country.
Yesterday, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the Acting President’s brother, announced that at least 2,295 had died, an increase of about 350 from the day before. However, the casualty figure is believed to be much larger.
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