Security guard rescued from building basement eight days after Venezuela earthquakes

Rescue workers load Hernan Gil, a survivor of Venezuela's twin earthquakes, into an ambulance in Catia La Mar, La Guaira State, Venezuela on July 2, 2026. © Federico Parra, AFP

An international rescue team saved a 43-year-old man from a collapsed shopping centre in Venezuela's La Guaira on Thursday, eight days after back-to-back earthquakes devastated the coastal region. Rescuers first made contact with the survivor, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, at the weekend and were able to pass him water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft as they navigated the complex rescue operation.

Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement early Thursday, ending a grueling days-long operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier.