A father and his young son were found alive after being trapped for four days in the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela following a devastating earthquake. The news of their survival brought cheers and applause at the rescue site amid a disaster that has claimed over 1,400 lives.
According to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press on June 28, the pair was rescued from the debris in La Guaira, a region hit by 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on June 24.
The rescue operation was challenging. Teams used specialized search cameras to locate signs of life and carefully removed debris to avoid further collapses. The operation took approximately 12 hours, with personnel from the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team in Virginia, French rescuers, and Venezuelan teams on the scene.
The father and son were in a severely weakened state. Rescuers transported them on a makeshift stretcher through the debris to an ambulance. A French rescue team member noted that they were in a state of extreme dehydration and required intravenous fluids and medication.
When rescued, the father was holding a mobile phone, while the young boy was nearly unresponsive as rescuers carried him out. Voices of the rescue team, mixing Spanish and English, echoed as they moved the pair through the rubble, with onlookers applauding their miraculous survival.
In disaster response, the first 48 to 72 hours are critical for locating survivors. As time passes, the chances of survival diminish due to dehydration, hypothermia, and worsening injuries. Nevertheless, the rescue teams continued their search, leading to the miraculous recovery of the father and son on the fourth day.
According to Venezuelan authorities, the earthquake has resulted in at least 1,450 fatalities and 3,150 injuries as of this report. Additionally, 12,721 people have been displaced, and 774 buildings have collapsed.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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