Rescued after eight days under 140 tons of rubble in Venezuela, a man survives the earthquake

Eight days after the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, a man has been pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed building.

The survivor, Hernan Gil, was rescued at the end of a difficult operation, more than 100 hours after search-and-rescue teams had managed to determine his location beneath nearly 140 tons of construction debris. Hundreds of personnel from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States took part in the mission.

A firefighter from Chile said this was the “most complex and technically most difficult operation” he had experienced during his career. During the intervention, the passages opened to reach the survivor collapsed several times, putting both the rescuers and Gil himself at risk.

Teams were first able to see him through a small camera and then sent him water, a protective mask, glasses and serum. Doctors said his condition was stable and that, remarkably, he had not suffered serious injuries.

Members of the rescue team said that “Hernán kept talking to us, encouraging us to continue and even asking for drinks in his favorite flavors.”

When the two earthquakes struck, Gil was inside a concrete booth in the parking basement near the Galerias Playa Grande shopping center, in the city of Catia La Mar. Authorities explained that the shape of that structure created a protective “shell,” which saved his life.

According to the official toll, the number of victims from the two earthquakes has reached around 2,300, while tens of thousands of people are still reported missing.