Security guard survives eight days beneath collapsed shopping center after Venezuela earthquakes

A 43-year-old information defender successful Venezuela was pulled live from the ruins of a buying halfway Thursday aft being trapped beneath the rubble for 8 days pursuing duplicate earthquakes that killed much than 2,200 people.

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was rescued from the collapsed basement of the Galerías Playa Grande buying halfway successful the coastal authorities of La Guaira, wherever helium had been trapped since the almighty earthquakes struck June 24.

"When we recovered him, helium asked america not to archer his woman that helium was alive, conscionable successful lawsuit helium wouldn't marque it," Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado told The Associated Press.

Rescuers archetypal made interaction with Gil Flores implicit the play aft detecting signs of beingness beneath the debris.

BOY, 2, PULLED ALIVE FROM RUBBLE SIX DAYS AFTER VENEZUELA'S DEVASTATING TWIN EARTHQUAKES

Rescue workers be to Hernán Alberto Gil Flores aft helium was pulled from the rubble 8 days aft helium was trapped by duplicate earthquakes that struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Gil Flores was moving an overnight displacement erstwhile the archetypal earthquake struck. While overmuch of the gathering collapsed astir him, his tiny information booth stayed intact, protecting him from the falling factual and leaving capable abstraction for him to survive.

Rescue crews worked done aftershocks, torrential rainfall and unstable rubble to scope him. They utilized a telescopic camera to pass with Gil Flores and lowered h2o and liquid nutrients done a constrictive shaft to support him live during the last days of the rescue.

Rescue workers transportation Hernán Alberto Gil Flores Gil aft helium was pulled from the rubble 8 days aft helium was trapped by duplicate earthquakes that struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

His wife, Gusbimar González, said the family's despair turned to anticipation aft rescuers reached her husband.

"When I learned helium was alive, I saw a ray of airy successful the darkness," she told the AP. The mates has 2 children, ages 8 and 10.

Video from the country showed rescuers carrying Gil Flores connected a stretcher covered with an orangish tarp done cheering crowds earlier loading him into a Red Cross ambulance. Members of the Costa Rican Red Cross hugged 1 different aft the rescue.

Rescue workers transportation Hernán Alberto Gil Flores aft helium was pulled from the rubble 8 days aft helium was trapped by duplicate earthquakes that struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

The cognition was led by Chilean firefighters and included search-and-rescue teams from Costa Rica, the United States, Portugal, Mexico and different countries.

EX-MLB PLAYER SAYS WIFE DIED IN DEVASTATING VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

The buying halfway collapsed aft duplicate earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck bluish Venezuela connected June 24, destroying tens of thousands of buildings, sidesplitting much than 2,200 radical and injuring much than 11,000 others.

Gil Flores' rescue offered a uncommon infinitesimal of anticipation aft days of devastation.

On Tuesday, exigency workers rescued a 2-year-old lad who had been trapped beneath the rubble for six days.

A antheral wearing a Barcelona shot squad jersey searches done earthquake rubble successful La Guaira, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

On Saturday, the U.S. State Department shared video showing American search-and-rescue teams pulling a 9-month-old miss live from a collapsed structure. The babe was rescued on with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered lone insignificant injuries, according to the rescue team.

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The U.S. authorities has mobilized $150 cardinal successful humanitarian assistance to assistance Venezuela respond to the disaster.

Fox News Digital's Michael Sinkewicz and Peter D'Abrosca, on with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.