Venezuela Earthquake Leaves 2,295 Dead as Rescuers Free Man Alive After Eight Days
Eight days after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, killing at least 2,295 people and injuring 11,267, rescuers pulled security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores alive from the rubble of a collapsed shopping center in La Guaira, offering a rare moment of hope amid ongoing recovery efforts focused on recovering bodies and aiding thousands left homeless. The Venezuela earthquake produced widespread destruction across coastal areas.
Overview of the June 24 Earthquakes and Casualties
The earthquakes on June 24, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, destroyed tens of thousands of buildings, with nearly 200 completely collapsed in La Guaira, the epicenter, where the vast majority of the nearly 2,300 dead and thousands missing are concentrated. [1] Official figures report at least 2,295 people killed and 11,267 injured in the Venezuela earthquake. [2] The vast majority of the nearly 2,300 dead and thousands missing from the tragedy of June 24 are concentrated on the coast of La Guaira, where entire neighborhoods have been razed. [1] Nearly 200 buildings have completely collapsed according to official figures, though local people say the number is higher. [1] The shopping center collapsed after twin earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela on June 24, destroying tens of thousands of buildings, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring more than 11,000 others. [4]
Miraculous Rescue of Hernán Alberto Gil Flores
Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, 43, survived eight days trapped in his intact security booth in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in Catia La Mar after the first quake; rescuers from Chile, Costa Rica, the US, Portugal, Mexico and others used a telescopic camera, lowered water and nutrients, and freed him on July 2 despite aftershocks and rain. [1] [4] A 43-year-old security guard in Venezuela was pulled alive from the ruins of a shopping center Thursday after being trapped beneath the rubble for eight days following twin earthquakes that killed more than 2,200 people. [4] Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was rescued from the collapsed basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal state of La Guaira, where he had been trapped since the powerful earthquakes struck June 24. [4] When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, just in case he wouldn't make it, Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado told The Associated Press. [4] Rescuers first made contact with Gil Flores over the weekend after detecting signs of life beneath the debris. [4] Gil Flores was working an overnight shift when the first earthquake struck. [4] While much of the building collapsed around him, his small security booth stayed intact, protecting him from the falling concrete and leaving enough space for him to survive. [4] Rescue crews worked through aftershocks, torrential rain and unstable rubble to reach him. [4] They used a telescopic camera to communicate with Gil Flores and lowered water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft to keep him alive during the final days of the rescue. [4] His wife, Gusbimar González, said the family's despair turned to hope after rescuers reached her husband. [4] When I learned he was alive, I saw a ray of light in the darkness, she told the AP. [4] The couple has two children, ages 8 and 10. [4] The operation was led by Chilean firefighters and included search-and-rescue teams from Costa Rica, the United States, Portugal, Mexico and other countries. [4]
Rescuers free a man alive from rubble eight days after deadly earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela. — Source: reliefweb
Ongoing Body Recovery Efforts in La Guaira and Caraballeda
Rescue operations continue in sites like Playa Grande and Caraballeda, where workers excavate collapsed multi-story buildings slab by slab to recover bodies, with Mexican firefighter Cesar Gonzalez using dogs to detect living and dead victims, though hope for survivors has diminished after eight days. [1] [4] A macabre darkness, the glare of spotlights, the droning of generators and jackhammers, and often the stench of decomposing corpses: eight days after the double earthquake in Venezuela, nighttime in La Guaira, once a festive seaside resort, has transformed into a grim scene of survival and despair. [1] On a neighboring plot of land, under the glare of floodlights, about 10 people are working to excavate a six-meter-high mountain, the remains of an eight-story building that collapsed like a sandwich of slabs, explained Manuel Alejos, a crane operator. [1] We're breaking slab by slab to free the bodies... Their families need the bodies to say their goodbyes, said the crane operator, who has already pulled seven bodies from the building. [1] We still have the basement to do, he said, still hoping to find survivors. [1] The stench of corpses filled the air. [1] In Caraballeda, the other hardest-hit area, only a pile of rubble remains of the upscale Coral Beach residence. [1] At the top, men were also working with spotlights to recover the body of Dennis Velasquez, 26, the son of their friend. [1] We went past the penthouse, the 12th floor, and on the 11th we pulled out a family of six with a six-year-old child. On the 10th, there's my son, one of the rescuers, Carlos Velazquez, said. [1] I've been here since day one. Even if I have to pull him out with my own fingernails, my son will rest in a proper cemetery, Velazquez said, his eyes filled with sadness but determination. [1] His son's body was recovered shortly afterward. [1] Cesar Gonzalez, 54, a Mexican firefighter and veterinarian, gives his two dogs, Zeus and Bom, water: One is for detecting the living, the other for the dead. The more time passes, the less hope there is. Just two days ago, hope was much greater. Now, it would be a miracle, he explains. [1]
Humanitarian Conditions for the Displaced
Around 15,000 people are homeless and sleeping in tents on streets, sports facilities, parks and vacant lots; many have lost all possessions, with some expressing they have lost their fear of aftershocks or thieves. [1] Some 15,000 homeless people are sleeping in tents in the streets, sports facilities, parks, vacant lots after one of Latin America's worst ever earthquake disasters. [1] Everywhere, relatives, volunteers, and rescue workers are racing to recover bodies with the slim chance of finding survivors. [1] On the docks, people wait on plastic chairs. [1] A makeshift morgue has been set up to meet the demand. [1] Owuar Herrera and 12 members of his family have been waiting since 5 p.m. [1] He brought the bodies of his granddaughter, 10-year-old Dasleidy Herrera, and her grandmother, 50-year-old Mildred Moreno, both killed in the earthquakes. [1] After a week of work, we found them today. They were embracing, he says. [1] On a soccer field, Maria Arteaga, 33, a mother of four, is preparing to sleep in an improvised shelter made of tarpaulins and a Venezuelan flag. [1] On the floor, dirty mattresses found in the street will serve as sleeping quarters for nine people. [1] The house... Everything, we've lost everything... Except our lives! We're even barefoot. [1] We didn't have much to begin with, but we've lost everything, adds a neighbor, Alexis Ramirez, 25, a tire repairman. [1] He lives with his two-year-old daughter, Mia, his wife, Fabiola, who is seven months pregnant, and his disabled mother-in-law. [1] Is he afraid of becoming homeless? Of more aftershocks? Of thieves? We've lost our fear. [1]
Rescuers free security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores alive from La Guaira shopping center rubble eight days after deadly Venezuela earthquakes. — Source: clarin
Security Measures Against Looting
Police and soldiers patrol to prevent looting, with signs reading "Already looted" on walls and reports of people pretending to be relatives to steal from damaged homes. [1] Police and soldiers are patrolling to prevent looting. [1] Sergeant Yonder Maita, 24, is patrolling to protect rescue workers but especially to prevent theft: There are people who break into houses to steal. Sometimes they pretend to be relatives. They take advantage of the situation. [1] On many walls, the words "Already looted" are painted in black. [1]
International Aid and Response
The US government has mobilized $150 million in humanitarian aid; international teams including the Costa Rican Red Cross and Chilean firefighters are assisting in rescues, while a makeshift morgue operates on the docks in La Guaira. [2] [4] The U.S. government has mobilized $150 million in humanitarian aid to help Venezuela respond to the disaster. [4] Members of the Costa Rican Red Cross hugged one another after the rescue. [4] Video from the scene showed rescuers carrying Gil Flores on a stretcher covered with an orange tarp through cheering crowds before loading him into a Red Cross ambulance. [4] Rescue workers attend to Hernán Alberto Gil Flores after he was pulled from the rubble eight days after he was trapped by twin earthquakes that struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. [4]
What to watch next: Rescue operations continue in sites like Playa Grande and Caraballeda with hope for survivors diminished after eight days, while the U.S. government has mobilized $150 million in humanitarian aid and multinational teams assist ongoing efforts.
