Dayán Martínez, a 10-year-old Cuban boy from Melena del Sur, Mayabeque province, remains trapped under the rubble of the Coral Beach building in Los Corales, La Guaira state, but in the last few hours, the family received their first encouraging news in almost a week: the rescuers managed to communicate with him and confirmed that he is alive along with his friend Samuel.
The confirmation came through Carleyns Kaina, a relative of the minor, according to a report by Telemundo 51.
"The correct information is that they found the children, meaning they have already spoken with them, they know it’s Dayán and Samuel. Thank God they found another way to reach them."
Both minors have been trapped in the basement of the collapsed building for almost a week, since the two earthquakes on June 24 -with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurring just 39 seconds apart- destroyed dozens of buildings in La Guaira.
The Mexican moles join the rescue effort
This Tuesday, the so-called "Mexican moles," experts in urban rescue, arrived at the site to reinforce the extraction efforts.
In a video shared on social media, a person can be heard saying: "Here come the moles from Mexico, the one over there is the main mole, who came for the rescue of the children."
Rescue teams also identified a new access route to the basement that had not been explored, which opens up concrete possibilities to reach the two minors.
The family believes that Dayán went down to the basement at the moment of the earthquake, as the boy was playing with other children in the lobby when the quake occurred.
According to the minor's uncle's wife, “they came to a conclusion that they were trapped like in a shell in the basement, like a shell-shaped structure, and that it protected them.”
Obstacles that have hindered the rescue
The road to the children has been fraught with complications from day one.
A French team with search dogs descended about 17 meters deep due to the smell of decomposing bodies, unable to reach where the minors are located.
A magnitude 4.6 aftershock recorded on Monday forced operations to be suspended for at least three hours due to protocols that prohibit access while there is seismic activity.
At different times, the family reported that there was no active equipment in the building.
The father of Dayán spoke publicly: "There is no one there."
The boy's uncle's wife also reported that American rescuers detected signs of life, but the minors “were asking for oxygen because they were a little weak, understandably, since it's been since Wednesday until today.”
The tragedy of the Martínez family
Dayán's case is set against the backdrop of a devastating family tragedy.
On June 27, the death of Vanessa Martínez, the boy's sister, and her cousin Ivana was confirmed. They were also trapped in the same building. Their father is a Cuban doctor who completed an official mission in Venezuela and chose to stay in the country; their mother resides in Cuba.
From the island, grandmother Isolina Dávila has made desperate public appeals:
"They say they are alive, that they are alive. How much longer are we going to delay? Those children have already been missing for almost five days. Please, what more are they going to keep waiting for? It's the only thing I have."
In another heart-wrenching testimony, the grandmother expressed: “We have already lost two granddaughters. Dayán is the only grandson we have left.”
Cubans missing in Venezuela
According to unofficial reports, at least 21 Cubans remain missing following the earthquakes, concentrated in Caraballeda, Catia La Mar, and Los Corales.
At least eight Cubans are reported to have died, although the regime has officially confirmed the death of only three individuals.
On June 29, a Cuban family of six was found dead in the Oasis Beach and Resjurel buildings in Playa Grande.
The earthquake's death toll as of June 30 stood at 1,943 deceased and over 10,571 injured, while the UN estimated up to 50,000 missing across the country.
While the family waits anxiously for the moment when rescuers can make their way to the basement of Coral Beach, the child's uncle's wife insists:
"There is life there. Because they shouted. I have the videos of when they shout and a woman hears them, confirming they are alive."
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