A Venezuelan security guard has been rescued alive after spending eight days trapped beneath an estimated 140 tonnes of rubble following the devastating earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela. The dramatic rescue of 43-year-old Hernán Alberto Gil Flores has become a symbol of hope amid a disaster that has killed more than 2,200 people, injured thousands more, and left communities struggling to recover.
Gil Flores was pulled from the ruins of the collapsed Galerías Playa Grande shopping centre in La Guaira after an international rescue operation involving teams from Venezuela, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, and the United States. His survival has drawn attention across the country as rescue efforts continue in some of the hardest-hit areas.
