Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement early on Thursday, ending a gruelling operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier.
Hernán Alberto Gil Flores emerged to safety covered in dust atop a stretcher surrounded by helmet-clad rescue workers after being trapped since 24 June under rubble in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping centre in the coastal town in La Guaira.
