11-year-old boy was rescued after three days stranded in Venezuela

“Not long ago, an 11-year-old boy was rescued in Caraballeda. In these moments, every life is a source of hope for Venezuela,” interim President Delcy Rodriguez posted on social network X on June 27.

The video shared by Ms. Rodriguez shows a search and rescue worker crawling into the rubble to get the boy out, then being assisted out of the area by teammates. The victim was put on a stretcher and left the scene.

“We were supported by 24 countries, they sent 521 tons of aid, dispatched 2,741 search and rescue workers and 86 sniffer dogs to work with our teams,” Ms. Rodriguez said.

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake occurred about 160 km west of Venezuela’s capital Caracas on the evening of June 24, with the epicenter at a depth of 22 km. Less than a minute later, a second magnitude 7.5 event occurred a few kilometers away with the epicenter at a depth of 10 kilometers. This is the strongest earthquake in Venezuela since 1900.

Venezuelan National Assembly Chairman Jorge Rodriguez on June 27 announced that 1,430 people were killed and 3,238 people were injured in the double earthquake. Tom Fletcher, head of the United Nations aid department, estimated the death toll could continue to rise and more than 50,000 people remain missing.

Forecast modeling by the US Geological Survey shows the death toll is likely to reach thousands, with a very high probability of exceeding 10,000 people.

Rescue teams are racing against time to find survivors in the rubble, but hope is dwindling. Experts say the first 72 hours after a natural disaster are a critical time to search for survivors.

The United Nations estimates that damage from the double earthquake could reach 6.7 billion USD, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela’s GDP. The UN agency in charge of migration issues said “up to 6.76 million people could be affected, they need emergency shelter, clean water, hygiene, health care, security support and essential relief goods”.