Rescuers make contact with man found under rubble a week after Venezuela earthquake; deportees affected

A week after devastating twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, a remarkable rescue effort is underway to free a 43-year-old security guard, Hernan Gil, who was found alive under the debris of a collapsed seven-story building in Catia La Mar. International teams from seven countries are working tirelessly to extract Gil, who was trapped in his security booth, in what his wife has called a "miracle." The catastrophic quakes have tragically claimed nearly 2,300 lives across the nation.

Compounding the tragedy, concerns are mounting over the fate of more than 100 Venezuelans recently deported from the United States. A flight carrying 146 deportees, including women and children, arrived in Caracas just hours before the seismic event.

These individuals were subsequently housed at the Hotel Santuario La Llanada in La Guaira, which tragically collapsed during the earthquakes. Families are now desperately searching for their missing loved ones amidst the rubble and in local hospitals and morgues, with survivors reporting being unable to escape the locked facility as it crumbled.