Venezuelan Security Guard Rescued After Eight Days Trapped in Earthquake Rubble
By JEONG SE HEEPosted : July 3, 2026, 09:12Updated : July 3, 2026, 09:12
Rescue teams celebrate after finding a survivor eight days after the earthquake in Venezuela [Photo: Reuters & Yonhap]
A 40-year-old man was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on July 2, following two powerful earthquakes that struck the region.
Hernan Alberto Hill Flores, who worked as a night security guard at a shopping center in Catia La Mar, had been trapped approximately 9 meters below the debris since the first earthquake on June 24.
Rescue teams detected his signals using acoustic detection equipment and radar on June 28, confirming he was alive.
A rescuer from the Costa Rican Red Cross told the Associated Press, "When we found him, he asked his wife not to tell anyone he was alive, just in case. But we never thought of leaving him behind."
A joint rescue operation, led by Chilean teams and involving personnel from Venezuela, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico, began a large-scale effort that lasted 70 hours.
During the operation, rescuers used search cameras to assess his condition through cracks in the concrete and provided water, electrolyte drinks, and medical fluids via hoses and syringes to prevent dehydration.
According to the AP, Hill Flores survived because the security booth he occupied maintained its structure while surrounding concrete collapsed, creating an air pocket that allowed him to breathe.
As he was carried out on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask, rescuers from various countries cheered and embraced each other in celebration of the successful rescue.
Immediately transported to a hospital after his rescue, Hill Flores is reported to be in stable health.
In an interview with CNN, his wife expressed her sorrow over the uncertainty of her husband's fate but felt a glimmer of hope upon hearing he was alive, stating, "He really endured like a hero."