A story of survival that has shaken and moved all of Venezuela comes from the coastal city of Caraballeda. Fabiana, just 12 years old, was pulled out alive after 32 hours beneath the rubble of the apartment building where she lived, which collapsed in the 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on June 24.
At the time the tremors began, her mother, Karina Blanco, was teaching a spinning class. As soon as she realized the intensity of the earthquake, she immediately drove toward their home, overwhelmed by anxiety for her only daughter.
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“When I arrived, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I saw one building, then a void where our building had been, and then another building. I thought my daughter had died,” Karina recounts.
At that moment, Fabiana was alone in the apartment. She tried to find shelter in the kitchen, but the walls of the home collapsed and threw her to the ground.
“I saw everything shaking and falling. When the walls cracked, I thought I was going to die. I told myself that no one would come to save me,” the 12-year-old recalls.
Trapped among chunks of concrete, with the ceiling only a few centimeters from her face, Fabiana managed to stay calm, even though she suffers from anxiety and claustrophobia.
After several hours, her voice was heard by a nurse who was also trapped in the same building. She urged Fabiana not to give up. About six hours later, the nurse was rescued and told search-and-rescue teams that a girl named Fabiana was still alive.
Until that moment, Karina had come to terms with the idea that she had lost her daughter, but her hope was restored.
“At that moment they told me: ‘Your daughter is alive.’ It was the greatest moment of my life,” Karina says.
Beneath the rubble, the 12-year-old managed to find her phone, but there was no signal. Still, she recorded a video asking for help, saying she was trapped and that many other neighbors were in the same situation.
During the long hours under the debris, Fabiana was able to move some pieces of concrete to free one of her legs, which had been trapped in a very painful position. As she tried to create a little space, she accidentally found a bottle of ketchup and some grated cheese, which she ate to keep up her energy. “They helped me stay conscious,” the 12-year-old said.
Hope grew stronger when a volunteer named Viktor heard her voice from amid the rubble. He immediately alerted the family and rescue teams. After several unsuccessful attempts, a team of firefighters from Caracas managed to open a tunnel to where the girl was.
After 32 hours, Fabiana was pulled out alive from the rubble and embraced her mother in a moment that later went viral on social media.
“When I came out and saw my family and the whole building collapsed, it felt unreal, like I was watching a television series,” she says.
Of the nearly 50 residents who lived in the apartment building where the family lived, only three people were rescued alive.
The toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela is becoming increasingly severe. According to authorities, 3,342 deaths have so far been confirmed, while tens of thousands of people are still missing.
Fabiana suffered only a fracture in her left leg and a few minor injuries. She is currently staying at her grandmother’s house while the family tries to recover from the tragedy.
“It will take time for us to heal. I have lost neighbors and friends. But the most important thing is that my daughter is alive,” Karina concludes.
