Venezuela earthquakes: 44-year-old trapped in mall ruins rescued alive after nearly 8 days — 'Endured like a warrior’

Venezuela earthquakes: Rescue crews pulled a 44-year-old man alive from the wreckage of the shopping mall where he worked in La Guaira state, more than a week after two powerful earthquakes struck the country's northern coastline.

The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck less than a minute apart nearly eight days earlier, devastating Venezuela's northern coast. According to the latest official figures, the disaster has claimed 2,295 lives.

The survivor, identified as security guard Hernan Alberto Gil, had been trapped beneath the collapsed nine-story Galerias Playa Grande mall. Rescue efforts to reach him began on Monday, according to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who shared regular updates on X about the multinational operation involving teams from Chile, the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela.

Throughout the rescue, responders kept Gil hydrated through a tube while carefully excavating the unstable debris. Because of the dangerous conditions inside the collapsed structure, crews were forced to dig two separate access tunnels before they could safely reach and free him.

After spending more than a week trapped beneath the collapsed shopping mall, Hernan Alberto Gil was pulled from the debris on a stretcher Thursday morning and rushed to a waiting ambulance as rescue workers and journalists applauded the successful operation.

According to Reuters, Gusbimar Gonzalez, Gil's wife stated, "I'm grateful to God for keeping him alive for so many days. He endured it all like a warrior."

The number of people still listed as missing on a widely followed unofficial online registry fell to about 38,600 by Thursday, down from a peak of nearly 60,000 in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes.

Relief efforts

The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. A United Nations envoy said 10,000 body bags were being procured for Venezuela, while the US Geological Survey warned the final death toll could exceed 10,000. Risk assessment firm Verisk also projected that the earthquakes could cause more than $10 billion in economic losses.

International relief efforts have intensified, with Venezuela receiving around 2,000 metric tons of humanitarian assistance from foreign governments by Thursday, according to the country's foreign ministry.

Since 1999, Venezuela's socialist government has emphasised a policy of "civilian-military-police unity," with senior security officials overseeing significant political and economic influence. State television has frequently shown interim President Delcy Rodríguez holding meetings with military and security leaders, while soldiers and police have been deployed across La Guaira to patrol key routes and help manage traffic.

Despite the visible security presence, much of the emergency response has been carried out by civilians, including large numbers of volunteers who have played a central role in rescue and relief operations.

In the aftermath of the earthquakes, grieving families have spent days searching for relatives buried beneath the rubble, using their bare hands as well as shovels and pickaxes. They have been joined by firefighters, civil protection personnel, international rescue teams, medical students, nurses, volunteers from professions such as teaching and veterinary medicine, and, in some cases, members of the military.

Several soldiers assisting at the site of six collapsed residential towers in a major public housing complex in La Guaira told Reuters they had volunteered to take part in the rescue mission, working alongside civilian responders.

Rescue workers have repeatedly voiced concerns over the shortage of heavy equipment needed to remove massive concrete slabs, saying the lack of machinery has slowed search and recovery efforts.

Oil minister reacts

Oil minister Paula Henao announced on Thursday that a shipment of diesel fuel had been transported from the Paraguaná Refining Complex to La Guaira to support rescue operations. The delivery reinforced earlier government assurances that the earthquakes had caused only limited disruptions to fuel terminals.

Meanwhile, authorities continued inspecting PDVSA's Catia La Mar fuel terminal, located in one of the hardest-hit areas, to assess whether the facility had sustained any structural damage.

(With inputs from agency)