Miraculous rescue in Venezuela quake; deportations complicate crisis

A 44-year-old security guard, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, was miraculously rescued alive from under a collapsed nine-story building in La Guaira, Venezuela, eight days after twin earthquakes devastated the region. The powerful 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck on June 24, causing widespread destruction and trapping Gil Flores beneath 29 feet of rubble in a shopping mall's underground parking lot where he worked.

International rescue teams, including experts from Chile, the United States, and other nations, worked tirelessly to reach him. Rescuers established visual contact with Gil Flores on Wednesday and provided him with water, food, and medication through a hose and syringe, sustaining him until his extraction on Thursday, July 2, 2026.

The successful retrieval of Gil Flores, despite the typical "golden window" for survivors being only three days, has been widely hailed as a miracle. His wife, Gusbimar González, expressed profound relief, stating that she saw "a ray of light in the darkness" upon learning he was alive.