Newborn and 11-year-old Miraculously Rescued Days After Venezuela Quake

Venezuela earthquakes rescue search
1,600 foreign rescuers have joined the search for survivors under the rubble in the Venezuelan cities hit by the June 24 twin earthquakes. Credit: EPA / Ronald Pena R via AMNA

While the death toll from the Venezuela twin earthquakes tops 1,400 and thousands of people remain missing, a newborn and an 11-year-old were miraculously found alive in the rubble by rescue teams three days after the deadly tremors.

The two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela around 6 p.m. (22.00 GMT) on Wednesday; a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas, near the coastal city of La Guaira, followed by another of magnitude 7.5, according to the US Geological Survey.

More than 1,600 foreign rescuers have arrived in the country to assist in the search efforts, and additional teams are on the way. Families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble, often complaining of scant heavy equipment and a limited official presence, according to Reuters.

Amidst the devastating loss of life and the continued agonising search against time, rescue crews -and the entire world watching- rejoice with every wondrous survival they witness.

The rescue of the 18-year-old infant is one of the most remarkable stories of survival from the disaster.

Few hours later, another child was found alive and pulled from the rubble more than 3 days after the earthquakes. Sky News recorded the search efforts and the successful rescue of the 11-year-old boy who spent three days in the darkness.

Reuters saw the rescue of a Venezuelan family in the first day after the quake, while Fox Weather witnessed the moving rescue of a dog from beneath home rubble – all life treated with compassion and respect.

Meanwhile, hospitals were overflowing with ⁠injured.

More than 55,000 people are listed as missing on a website promoted by the country’s ​opposition. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated more than ⁠10,000 deaths were possible from the twin earthquakes, which would place them among Latin America’s deadliest of the last century.
The U.S. has sent aid to Venezuela in the aftermath of the quakes, with rumors of a funding package worth hundreds of millions of dollars expected to be announced within days, in addition to 150 USD million that the Trump administration has ⁠already committed.
Moreover, the ​U.S. Treasury ‌on ​Thursday ​issued a ⁠license ​authorizing ​transactions related ​to ​earthquake relief efforts ‌in ⁠Venezuela that ​would ​have ⁠been ​banned ​under ⁠sanctions ⁠into ​October.
The interim government has called for unity but the disaster could trigger political developments as Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who left ​Venezuela late last year, has asked for U.S. help to return homeafter the earthquakes.
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