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Venezuelan security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores pulled alive from collapsed basement eight days after twin quakes
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

International/The Apex Times/Jul 2, 12:45 PM EDT

Venezuelan security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores pulled alive from collapsed basement eight days after twin quakes

Rescuers with international teams extracted the 43-year-old from the Galerías Playa Grande shopping complex in La Guaira after he survived in a pocket of air, as authorities and aid groups continue searches for thousands still missing.

3 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old Venezuelan security guard, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, alive from the collapsed basement of a shopping centre in the coastal city of La Guaira on Thursday, ending an eight-day ordeal that brought cheers from international rescue teams on site. The rescue marked one of the longest survival periods reported from the debris of the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela in late June.

Gil Flores was trapped under rubble at Galerías Playa Grande after back-to-back earthquakes hit the area, including in the Catia La Mar area, according to accounts cited in coverage. He was working a night shift when the first violent tremor struck and the surrounding concrete structure collapsed around him, while his small workstation cabin allegedly held long enough to form a pocket of air.

The Costa Rican Red Cross (CRRC) and other teams established contact with Gil Flores after signs of life were detected over the weekend, the reports said. CRRC team member Minyar Collado told the Associated Press that when the team found him, he asked them not to tell his wife that he was alive, “just in case he wouldn’t make it,” reflecting the uncertainty rescuers faced during the operation.

After days of excavation and sustained support as they worked around the collapsed structure, teams carried Gil Flores on a stretcher into a Red Cross ambulance. The accounts described him wearing an oxygen mask during the extraction, with international rescuers from multiple countries participating, and said the moment drew applause from bystanders and rescue workers.

Gil Flores’s wife, Gusbimar González, said her despair gave way to hope after she learned he was still alive, and described the outcome in personal terms in remarks carried by the same reporting. Her comments underscored the emotional toll the broader disaster has had on families, as communities waited through an extended period without confirmed information about missing relatives.

The rescue came as the earthquakes continued to strain emergency response and recovery efforts across Venezuela. Coverage cited figures that the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes killed almost 2,200 people, injured more than 11,000 and left tens of thousands missing, with rescue teams still searching for survivors under damaged buildings in multiple locations.

While the extraction of Gil Flores was the latest report of survival from the rubble, it also highlighted the operational challenges facing responders, including limited timelines, unstable structures, and the need for specialized equipment. Officials have continued to coordinate international teams as searches continue, and Thursday’s rescue added a new case for how pockets of survivability can extend far beyond the typical 48-to-72-hour window used in many disaster response assessments.

In the immediate aftermath, authorities and humanitarian groups are expected to focus on medical evaluation and identification and notification processes for other families affected by the collapse at Galerías Playa Grande and surrounding districts. Rescuers have not indicated a pause in ongoing searches, and the case is likely to inform continuing decisions on how long to sustain intensive rescue work where signs of life are still reported.

Why It Matters

  • The rescue provides a rare, late-stage survival outcome that can shape how teams manage time-sensitive rescue decisions at heavily damaged sites.
  • It directly affects a family in the hard-hit La Guaira region, where authorities have been dealing with uncertainty for missing residents for more than a week.
  • The incident illustrates the role of international urban search and rescue capability and sustained coordination across agencies operating in hazardous rubble fields.
  • The broader casualty and missing-person toll increases pressure on logistics, manpower, and public communication during prolonged rescue and recovery operations.
  • High numbers injured and missing underscore continued public safety and community disruption as responders work around unstable structures and damaged infrastructure.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Rescuers pulled Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, 43, alive from the collapsed basement of Galerías Playa Grande in La Guaira on Thursday, ending an eight-day entrapment.
  • Gil Flores worked a night shift security role inside a small workstation cabin when the first quake struck, and coverage reports the cabin held long enough to create a pocket of air.
  • Costa Rican Red Cross teams detected signs of life and established contact over the weekend, with continued rescue efforts through the following days.
  • CRRC team member Minyar Collado told the Associated Press that Gil Flores asked rescuers not to tell his wife that he was alive “just in case he wouldn’t make it.”
  • Gil Flores was extracted wearing an oxygen mask, then carried into a Red Cross ambulance amid cheers and applause from international rescue teams.
  • Coverage cited broader earthquake impacts, including near 2,200 deaths, more than 11,000 injuries, and tens of thousands reported missing following twin earthquakes in late June.