In the midst of the devastation caused by the two earthquakes that shook Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, images of firefighters and rescuers saving dogs trapped in the rubble became a symbol of hope. The videos of these rescues, widely shared on social media, showcased a different side of the tragedy that has left hundreds of victims.
The Venezuelan authorities updated the official count of the emergency this Thursday: 188 people have died, 1,520 were injured and more than 200 remain trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, reported Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly.
One of the rescues that gained the most attention occurred in the Pinto Salinas area of Caracas. Firefighters from the city's Fire Department managed to pull a puppy to safety that was howling amid the debris of a collapsed structure.
"In Pinto Salinas, where rescue teams are still trying to find survivors within the collapsed structure, they rescued a puppy that was found among the rubble whimpering, and it is currently receiving care," reported a journalist from the scene.
After being rescued, the puppy was placed under the care of the Caracas Fire Department. While sharing the images, the newspaper El Universal captured the sentiment of thousands with a phrase that quickly went viral: "Every life matters."
A similar scene unfolded in the San Bernardino parish, also in Caracas, where emergency teams rescued a dog that had one of its legs trapped among the rubble of another collapsed building. In the rescue video, the rescuers can be heard encouraging the animal as they worked to free it.
"You have a little leg stuck. Yes, yes. Come on, come on, you're stuck. Stretch your feet, uh-huh. Come on, good, come on. Good, sweetheart, good," the rescuers said until they managed to get her to safety.
Around 40 specialized firefighters worked at that same location, rescuing four people who were later taken to a hospital, as well as a kitten that had also been trapped in the rubble.
Animal rescues were not limited to the capital. In the state of Aragua, emergency brigades also saved a dog that was trapped in a collapsed structure, according to local media reports.
The newspaper El Tiempo highlighted the impact of these scenes by stating that, "amid the rescue efforts in Venezuela, following the devastating earthquakes of magnitudes 7.1 and 7.5 on June 24, the teams have saved the lives of several little animals."
The two earthquakes, recorded with just 39 seconds apart, are the strongest to occur in Venezuela since 1900. The state of La Guaira has been declared a disaster zone and has suffered the most damage, with dozens of buildings collapsed, although the destruction also reached Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcón.
Jorge Rodríguez also reported that at least 250 buildings suffered varying degrees of damage and that, since the main earthquakes, more than 130 aftershocks have been recorded.
In light of the magnitude of the emergency, Colombia announced the deployment of the specialized team USAR COL-1, composed of more than 60 rescuers, four canine pairs, and 12 tons of equipment, which will depart this Thursday to Venezuela to assist in the search and rescue efforts.
Filed under: