MIRACULOUS: Venezuelan Man Survives 8 Days Under Collapsed Building After Earthquake

This is a miracle in the midst of tragedy.

Rescue teams from the United States, El Salvador and all around the globe have been deployed to Venezuela to rescue potential survivors from the devastating earthquake that rocked the country on June 24th.

On Thursday, a glimpse of hope was offered to family members who still have missing loved ones in Venezuela after a 43-year-old man was rescued from inside of a collapsed basement after being trapped for eight days.

Watch the moment it happened here:

🚨 WOW! After *EIGHT DAYS* a man has been found ALIVE after fatal Venezuela earthquakes

"After 8 days, a man was found alive in the RUBBLE and he was brought to safety. 43 years old, security guard."

Absolutely INSANE 🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/4P7DsWZEnD

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 2, 2026

Another video:

En el último avance que publiqué sobre el rescate de Hernán, llevábamos 28 horas de trabajo. Ahora ya son 58 horas y aún no hemos logrado sacarlo.

La dificultad es que Hernán se encuentra atrapado dentro de una estructura de nueve pisos sumamente inestable, y el túnel que… https://t.co/d1rx30dtxZ pic.twitter.com/0SgodFZp7L

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) July 1, 2026

AP had more details on the miraculous story:

Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement early Thursday, ending a grueling dayslong operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier.

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores emerged to safety covered in dust atop a stretcher surrounded by helmet-clad rescue workers after being trapped since June 24 under rubble in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal town in La Guaira.

Rescuers, who initially made contact with Gil Flores over the weekend, worked more than 100 hours to free him — navigating a highly unstable structure, torrential rain and persistent aftershocks to tunnel down to the survivor.

Teams carrying flags from around the world cheered as rescuers carried Gil Flores, wearing an oxygen mask and covered in an orange tarp, through throngs of people to an ambulance where they methodically checked his vital signs.

One Chilean rescuer carrying his stretcher pumped his fist in joy. A group of men in red Costa Rican Red Cross uniforms embraced and laughed in relief. Others broke out into applause.

“When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, just in case he wouldn’t make it,” Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado told The Associated Press, but she added “We were never going to leave him here.”

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The rescue was considered a small miracle cutting through a week of tragedy. By supplying Gil Flores with food and water while they excavated the concrete, rescue teams were able to keep him alive far longer than the 48- to 72-hour threshold most operations give to find survivors in disasters.

A new video of the earthquake was recently released.

Take a look how the buildings on the left just completely collapse:

WATCH: New angle captures the catastrophic collapse of four buildings during the deadly earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, as the death toll climbs to 1,943. pic.twitter.com/ibO7GXMQSP

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 1, 2026

The New York Times provided the latest death toll in Venezuela:

In the first days after the calamitous earthquakes in Venezuela, rescuers and volunteers clawed through collapsed buildings searching for signs of life.

Now, as hopes of finding more survivors fades, the authorities are confronting a different challenge: recovering, identifying and burying thousands of victims in a country whose institutions had already been weakened by years of economic collapse and government mismanagement.

The sudden influx of bodies has quickly overwhelmed the country’s forensic system, leading officials to transform a seaport into a temporary morgue, move victims into refrigerated shipping containers and prepare for the possibility of mass burials.

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The official death toll has increased daily and on Wednesday increased by over 300 from the day before to 2,295, according to the Venezuelan government. More than 11,000 people were injured.
Forensic workers and aid officials say the true number of dead is likely far higher.

Two doctors at Caracas’ main morgue estimated the true number of dead was closer to 4,000. Anticipating the toll could rise further, the United Nations is procuring 10,000 body bags in coordination with the Venezuelan government, said Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, the U.N. resident coordinator in Venezuela.

U.S. officials said in a news conference on Wednesday that they had deployed $300 million in humanitarian assistance and that they remained focused on saving lives.