A three-year-old boy was rescued alive this morning in La Guaira, Venezuela, after being trapped for six days under the rubble of the Los Corales Garden 1 building, marking the longest survival time under the debris since the earthquakes devastated the country on June 24.
The Ministry of Communication and Information of the Venezuelan government confirmed the rescue of the minor, identified as Klieber Morán, and described it as a miracle.
The extraction efforts were carried out by a team of rescuers from Jordan, one of over 45 international teams deployed in the affected area.
Once freed from the rubble, the child was transported by ambulance by personnel from the Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Operational Zone of Sucre State to receive medical attention.
The rescue of Klieber occurs just hours after another case that also touched the nation: on Monday night, teams from the Dominican Republic, supported by Venezuela and Ecuador, successfully rescued Carlos Miguel Colmenares, a 12-year-old boy who had been trapped under the rubble of the La Estrella building in Macuto for more than 122 hours, also in the state of La Guaira.
In that operation, which lasted six hours, rescuers detected signs of life using sonic equipment and provided oxygen and hydration to the child through tubes before managing to bring him out.
Both rescues are part of a series of extraordinary survival stories recorded during the week following the catastrophe: a baby of 18 days and her mother were rescued on June 25 after 32 hours under the rubble in Catia La Mar, and another baby of 10 months and an 11-year-old boy were pulled out alive on June 28 in the same coastal area.
The tragedy was triggered by two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 that shook Venezuela on June 24, just 39 seconds apart, with epicenters in the states of Carabobo and Yaracuy.
The state of La Guaira was the most devastated: 855 buildings were affected, of which 189 collapsed entirely.
The official death toll has risen to 1,943 people, while the UN estimates over 50,000 missing and calculates that up to 6.76 million people have been affected, with direct damages valued at 6.7 billion dollars.
More than 3,300 foreign rescuers from 45 international delegations and 140 search dogs continue to work in the area, hoping to find more survivors among the rubble.
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