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Rescuers pull Venezuela security guard Hernán Gil from quake rubble after 8 days
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

International/The Apex Times/Jul 2, 10:35 AM EDT

Rescuers pull Venezuela security guard Hernán Gil from quake rubble after 8 days

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was extracted from the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in Catia La Mar, following coordinated rescue work by teams from multiple countries.

3 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Rescuers in Venezuela pulled a security guard, identified as Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, alive from the rubble of a collapsed building eight days after twin earthquakes struck the country, CBS News reported July 2. Gil was brought out on a stretcher after rescuers completed a painstaking extraction operation, and he was loaded into an ambulance as rescuers cheered and embraced nearby.

The rescue took place in Catia La Mar, a coastal area in La Guaira that was heavily damaged in the June 24 earthquakes. According to reporting cited by CBS and other outlets, Gil worked in the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center when the first tremor hit, and he was trapped under concrete in a collapsed structure, leaving a narrow survivable space that rescuers had to reach without causing further collapse.

CBS News described the final stages as an extraction from the collapsed seven-story building where Gil worked, after days in which teams searched for signs of life and then worked to access him. AFP journalists, as relayed by CBS, reported that hundreds of rescuers cheered and hugged after pulling Gil free, and that the moment was treated as a rare breakthrough amid a wider disaster response.

The CBS report said Gil’s wife, Gusbimar González, told reporters before his rescue that she had been living through days of uncertainty and that the rescue effort felt extraordinary. She described the response as a “miracle” and also expressed amazement at the number of countries that came to Venezuela to try to save a single person.

Rescue efforts involved teams from multiple countries, according to AFP reporting relayed by CBS News. The operation included workers from Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico, coordinated over several days and carried out with caution because surrounding structures had been destabilized by the earthquakes and aftershocks.

CBS News also cited comments from Manny Sampang, a task force leader from the Los Angeles County Fire Department who was in Venezuela to help with the rescue. Sampang said rescuers faced a complex, high-risk environment, including the presence of damaged buildings leaning toward the structure being worked on.

While Gil’s survival offered a major moment of relief for responders and his family, the broader quake toll remained severe. CBS News said the official death count was nearing 2,300 and that large numbers of people were still missing, underscoring that rescue opportunities were limited even as teams continued to search for survivors.

After Gil was transported from the site, the focus for rescue authorities was expected to remain on locating other missing people and stabilizing damaged structures to continue safe operations. The case also highlighted the logistical and safety challenges of urban search-and-rescue work after large earthquakes, where time, engineering constraints, and aftershock risk can determine whether survivors can be reached.

Why It Matters

  • A live rescue after eight days shows that pockets of survival can remain possible in urban rubble, changing how responders prioritize limited rescue time.
  • The rescue underscores the scale of multinational involvement in emergency urban search-and-rescue operations following major disasters.
  • With the death toll reported as nearing 2,300 and large numbers still missing, Gil’s case illustrates both the potential for rare breakthroughs and the continuing pressure on families and responders.
  • The engineering and aftershock risks described by rescue officials highlight public safety concerns that shape how teams plan access and remove debris.
  • The coordinated work involving foreign task forces points to the continuing international and institutional attention on Venezuela’s disaster response logistics and capabilities.

Sources

Key Facts

  • A security guard identified as Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was rescued alive from rubble in Venezuela eight days after twin earthquakes.
  • CBS News reported the extraction in Catia La Mar, in La Guaira, where a collapsed building and basement area were heavily damaged.
  • Gil was pulled out on a stretcher and taken in an ambulance after rescuers completed an operation at the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center site.
  • CBS News reported Gil’s wife, Gusbimar González, described the rescue as a “miracle” and spoke about the multinational response.
  • CBS News said rescue teams from seven countries, including Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico, worked to reach him.
  • CBS News cited Los Angeles County Fire Department task force leader Manny Sampang describing the extraction as complex and risky due to nearby buildings leaning toward the site.
  • CBS News said the official death toll was nearing 2,300 and many people remained missing at the time of the rescue.