In brief
After twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on 24 June, a 31‑year‑old man was found alive beneath 140 tonnes of rubble in Catia La Mar’s Galerias Playa Grande car‑park. Over 100 hours of painstaking digging by crews from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States freed Hernán Gil. He emerged blood‑shot but unharmed, receiving water and an intravenous drip. The disaster has left 2,300 dead and thousands missing, underscoring the country’s urgent crisis.
Eight days later, a man trapped under the rubble of a collapsed mall in Venezuela is alive and well—thanks to an international rescue effort that spanned six countries.
Hernán Gil was found on Saturday beneath 140 tonnes of concrete falling from the Galerías Playa Grande shopping centre in Catia La Mar. Emergency crews worked tirelessly, using beams, ladders and small re‑entry holes to inch their way into the crumbling structure.
A Chilean firefighter said the operation was “the most complex and technically difficult I’ve ever faced.” Teams from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States coordinated to stabilize the site and deliver a shaky but vital early‑medical kit.
Speaking to a camera, Gil’s eyes were blood‑shot and his mouth covered by a mask that rescuers slipped through a tiny opening in the rubble. He was given water, a drip and a friendly nudge to wear goggles to shield his eyes from the dust of the search.
The small concrete booth in the basement of the parking lot apparently acted as a shell, shielding him from the crushing weight above him. His colleagues, who describe him as “cheerful” and “healthy,” added that he even asked for his favourite hydration drinks during the ordeal.
The twin landslides struck on 24 June, killing almost 2,300 people and leaving tens of thousands missing, a tragedy still unfolding in a country grappling with crisis over every angle.
