A parrot named “Panchito” became a symbol of hope amid the devastation left by the double earthquake in Venezuela, having been rescued alive after being trapped for nine days beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira.
The rescue was carried out by members of the Bolivarian State Firefighters of Miranda, who found the bird in apartment number eight of the tower known as OPP033.
According to the rescuers themselves, "Panchito" was the only survivor from that department.
While one group of firefighters continued the complex task of rescuing individuals, another team focused solely on assisting the parrot and ensuring its safety.
Upon pulling him from the rubble, the rescuers greeted him with the words, "My child, you survived," and immediately offered him water.
In the video, which went viral on social media, the bird can be seen desperately drinking the liquid, an image that moved millions of users around the world.
"For us, every life matters. We continue working, non-stop," the firefighters wrote as they shared the images on their Instagram account, where the post garnered over 328,000 reactions and nearly 9,000 comments.
The rescue of Panchito takes place against the backdrop of the most devastating seismic disaster recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
On June 24, 2026, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 shook the northern part of the country with just 39 seconds apart, with the epicenter near Morón, in the state of Yaracuy.
La Guaira was the hardest-hit area: over 250 buildings collapsed, including the José María Vargas Hospital and the Maiquetía International Airport.
The official balance at the end of this week rose to 2,954 deceased and more than 16,000 injured, while the UN estimated up to 50,000 missing, a figure that the Venezuelan government has not officially confirmed.
The case of Panchito is not the only animal rescue that has generated moments of hope amid tragedy. A dog named Buddy was rescued alive after eight days under the rubble in Caraballeda, and a Yorkshire Terrier survived ten days trapped in La Guaira.
More than 3,300 foreign specialists from 45 delegations and 140 trained search dogs participated in the rescue efforts, coming from countries such as the United States, Spain, Costa Rica, Jordan, and Cuba, among others.
A 15-year-old girl identified as Camila Sofía Medina Rivas was also rescued along with her puppy Chanel by the Humanitarian Rescue Unit of El Salvador, in another story that touched the international public opinion.
Venezuelan authorities indicated that search and rescue operations are still active in the most affected areas, where NASA identified over 58,870 damaged buildings and estimated 1.2 million tons of debris just in La Guaira.
Filed under: