A three-year-old boy who spent six days trapped under debris after a devastating earthquake in Venezuela has been pulled out alive by Jordanian rescue workers. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed the rescue, calling it a sign of hope for families still searching for missing loved ones.
The toddler, identified as Klieber Moran, was found in the ruins of the Los Corales Garden 1 building in the coastal state of La Guaira. Rescue teams worked through the rubble and extracted the child on Tuesday, June 30. According to local media, the boy was unconscious when found. Medics provided immediate first aid, covered him with a blanket, and transported him to an ambulance.
Rodriguez stated that the boy’s survival after six days underground is extraordinary. The Ministry of People’s Power for Communication and Information labeled the event a „miracle.” The child was later transferred to a hospital in Caracas, as confirmed by Jorge Rodriguez, President of the National Assembly, during a televised address.
A race against time
Rescuers had already beaten the odds earlier. One day before Klieber was saved, four living people were extracted from the wreckage. On Saturday, a newborn infant was found alive in La Guaira and handed to a man believed to be the father. These rescues occurred well beyond the critical 72-hour window, the period during which survival chances are highest after an earthquake.
„The finding of the child is considered an exceptional case because it happened after the so-called critical window of 72 hours,” reported El Imparcial. The newspaper noted that chances of saving more people drop dramatically with each passing hour. Factors influencing survival include age, physical condition, ambient temperature, and the stability of the rubble pile, which affects the safety of ongoing rescue operations.
The scale of the disaster
The earthquake struck northern Venezuela around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 24. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded two successive tremors: the first with a magnitude of 7.2, followed by a second of 7.5. Approximately 30 aftershocks were reported. Buildings collapsed across the region, trapping thousands.
According to the AFP news agency, the death toll has reached 1,943 people. More than 10,500 have been injured. So far, 6,461 individuals have been rescued, but the United Nations estimates that 50,000 people remain missing. The Jordanian rescue mission, which extracted Klieber, is part of an international effort to find survivors amid the rubble.
Źródło: polsatnews.pl, Fot. X / @NicolasMaduro
