I'm alive, I see the sky. Call my family: Survivors' harrowing stories from Venezuela's earthquake week

Edy Añez found himself staring at the sky after his apartment building in La Guaira, Venezuela, collapsed during a powerful earthquake. The 61-year-old was trapped for hours, pinned by furniture, with only a small angle between the floor and ceiling offering a view of the outside world. He recalled the surreal sight of birds and their sounds as his only connection to life.

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I see the sky and the most impressive thing was the amount of birds and the sound. That image will never leave me.

"I see the sky and the most impressive thing was the amount of birds and the sound. That image will never leave me," Añez told BBC Mundo. He initially thought he could survive for 24 to 48 hours, but the fear of aftershocks loomed. He found a pen, an envelope, and a baseball, using them to leave a message for his family.

He wrote, "It's Edy. I'm on the top floor. The 6th and 7th floors fell on top of me. I'm fine, I see the sky. Call my family," along with contact numbers. He then threw the note, wrapped around the baseball, out the window. After freeing himself from the furniture pinning his leg, he crawled to the window and escaped, finding his fifth floor had become a pile of debris reaching the street.

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It's Edy. I'm on the top floor. The 6th and 7th floors fell on top of me. I'm fine, I see the sky. Call my family.

"I was a miracle of the tragedy," Añez stated, reflecting on his improbable survival. His experience occurred during two magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, coinciding with the anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo, a key event in Venezuela's independence.

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I was a miracle of the tragedy.