Venezuelan Man Rescued From Shopping Mall 8 Days After Quakes
A security guard was rescued from a collapsed shopping mall on Thursday, eight days after the devastating Venezuela earthquake.
The Associated Press reported that 43-year-old Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was trapped under 29 feet of debris after the Galerías Playa Grande shopping mall in La Guaira collapsed on June 24. reported.
The father of two was in the small safety cabin that protected him from the falling building and created a vital air gap.
Rescuers from across the Americas used a telescopic camera to maintain contact with Gil Flores after he was discovered over the weekend.
They gave him water and liquid nutrients to keep him alive ahead of Thursday’s successful extraction.
Rescuers worked nearly 100 hours to extract Gil Flores from the collapsed mall.
His wife Gusbimar González said: CNN when he learned she was alive, “I saw a ray of sunshine.”
“He was fighting like a hero,” he added.
Gil Flores, who rescue teams said was in “good condition”, was taken out of the ruins on a stretcher and carried to the ambulance, amid the cheers of many people.
At least 2,295 people have died and more than 11,000 have been injured in devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela, officials say.
Thousands more were sleeping in crowded shelters or outside, or were missing as family members searched for debris.
