After a double earthquake struck Venezuela last month, a man in his 40s, who had been trapped under building rubble for 8 days, was rescued on the 2nd.
The 43-year-old security guard, Gil, was buried in the security booth of the building he worked at in La Guaira state.
Rescue teams from the United States, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Portugal, Mexico, Chile, and Venezuela worked continuously for over three days and nights, ultimately freeing him. During the process, they delivered water and air to him through probes and hoses.
In the final phase of the rescue operation, about 30 people tirelessly cleared rubble in the building’s parking lot around the clock, while two rescuers dug a three-meter-long tunnel.
Before reaching this “miracle survivor,” they first used a jackhammer to break through the last floor slab. It was previously reported that there was a risk of collapse in an adjacent building.
An unnamed rescue worker at the scene said: “I have never seen such a difficult rescue; I don’t know if there has ever been such a prolonged and exceptionally challenging operation before.”
Gil’s wife, Gonzalez, exclaimed: “This truly is a miracle. I am amazed beyond words, because this is the first time I have seen so many countries unite just to save one person.”
Another miracle was a 3-year-old child, who was rescued from the rubble by a Jordanian rescue team on June 30, six days after the double earthquake struck.