In an extraordinary display of human resilience, Hernán Gil has been pulled alive from beneath approximately 140 tonnes of debris, more than eight days after twin earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela on 24 June.
Rescue teams freed the security guard on Thursday after detecting signs of life over 100 hours earlier. Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez visited Gil in hospital and described his survival as “a living miracle.”
Gil was on duty inside a small concrete booth in the basement parking area of the Galerías Playa Grande mall in Catia La Mar when the quakes struck. The sturdy structure acted as a protective shell, shielding him from the crushing weight of the collapsed building.
The complex operation involved emergency responders from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal, and the United States. Rescuers worked around the clock, facing repeated setbacks as narrow access tunnels collapsed. They supplied Gil with water, an intravenous drip, a protective face mask, and goggles while carefully removing debris.
Costa Rican Red Cross paramedic Allan Madrigal was the first to hear Gil’s faint cries and confirmed the discovery with a colleague. Visual contact was eventually established using a small camera inserted through the rubble. Mexican Red Cross worker Marco Antonio Franco described Gil as remarkably cheerful throughout the ordeal, even requesting specific hydration drinks and encouraging the rescue teams.
“He recognises our team members… He drives us on,” Franco said. Gil reportedly suffered no major injuries — “not even a crushed nail,” according to one rescuer.
The twin earthquakes have caused massive destruction, with authorities confirming 2,595 deaths as of Thursday evening and tens of thousands still missing. Rodríguez acknowledged the scale of the “natural tragedy” while defending the government’s response, stating that thousands of officials were deployed immediately.
A Chilean firefighter called the mission “the most complex and technically difficult” of his career. For Madrigal, participating in his first international mission, the experience was transformative.
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