The Humanitarian Rescue Unit (UHR) of El Salvador achieved one of the most emotional moments of the Venezuelan tragedy this Saturday: rescuing Camila Sofía Medina Rivas, a 15-year-old teenager who had been trapped on the ninth floor of the Bahía Mar building in the Caribe neighborhood of La Guaira state, three days after the devastating double earthquake that shook northern Venezuela.
The Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele documented the operation in real-time through his social media, turning the case into the most powerful human symbol of the international response to the disaster.
The rescue unfolded in two phases. First, the Salvadoran teams managed to extract Chanel, Camila Sofía's dog, a golden-haired Yorkshire Terrier that had also been trapped among the rubble.
Bukele then announced: "We have managed to rescue Chanel, Camila Sofía's dog. Camila is still trapped in the rubble. Our teams are working to create the necessary space that will allow access to her and carry out the rescue safely. God willing, we will be able to rescue her soon as well."
Hours later, the president confirmed that the young woman had been found alive and that her mother was waiting for her below, along with part of the Salvadoran team, although it was still necessary to break down several walls to reach her safely.
During the operation, Camila was able to communicate with her rescuers: "I can only move my legs," she told them.
Finally, Bukele published the complete rescue video with the message: “We have rescued Camila! Thank you God, for using us in this way. Strength to Venezuela.”
In the images, a rescuer can be heard encouraging her with words of support: "Come on, Camila, come on. Good, good, sweetheart, good, good," while in the background shouts of "Long live Venezuela! Long live Salvador too!" erupt.
The rescue of Camila and Chanel is set against a backdrop of a catastrophe of historical proportions.
The two earthquakes on June 24, 2026 —with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurring just 39 seconds apart— were classified by the United States Geological Survey as the most powerful recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
The state of La Guaira suffered the most damage, with 383 buildings affected either totally or partially, and entire neighborhoods destroyed.
The official toll stood at 920 dead, over 3,360 injured, and 157 confirmed missing, while the UN estimated as many as 50,000 missing people and 6.76 million affected.
Camila's case was not the only miraculous rescue in recent days.
A 18-day-old baby and her mother were rescued alive after more than 32 hours under the rubble in Catia La Mar, and improvised rescuers saved a woman named María Elena with the promise: "We went in three, we will come out four."
Teams from 16 countries, including the United States, Spain, France, and Colombia, were working among the rubble.
El Salvador, which sent six planes with 300 rescuers, paramedics, and 150 tons of supplies, was a key player in the rescue of Camila Sofía, marking one of the moments that the entire world will remember from this tragedy.
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