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Infant and two boys saved from under Venezuelan earthquakes rubble

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Rescuers saved an infant and two 11-year-old boys from rubble following devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
  • The rescues occurred during a weekend multinational operation amidst ongoing searches for survivors, with tens of thousands still unaccounted for.
  • The death toll rose to at least 1,450 as foreign rescue teams arrived in the hardest-hit state of La Guaira.

In the wake of Venezuela's devastating earthquakes, rescuers have pulled an infant and two 11-year-old boys alive from beneath the rubble. These dramatic rescues unfolded during a weekend multinational operation, offering glimmers of hope as the search for survivors continued. Tens of thousands remain unaccounted for following the disaster.

The death toll climbed to at least 1,450 by Saturday, local time, as international rescue teams converged on La Guaira, the coastal state bearing the brunt of the destruction. One of the boys, an 11-year-old, was located by a scanner and rescued from approximately 3 meters of debris. Families and volunteers had toiled for days, often hampered by a lack of heavy equipment and a limited official presence, before the arrival of over 2,000 foreign rescue workers.

Amidst scenes of devastation, the rescues sparked hope. The US State Department shared a video of US rescuers carefully extracting a blanket-wrapped infant from the rubble. A Colombian team similarly saved an 11-year-old boy, Moises, who suffered a broken arm after being trapped for an extended period. His mother and sister did not survive the quake. Mexican rescuers also found and carried another 11-year-old boy to safety.

Multinational teams worked tirelessly through the weekend, sifting through debris in La Guaira. Crowds gathered to witness the survivors, covered in dust, receive medical attention. The United Nations reported that over 2,200 rescue workers had arrived by Saturday, underscoring the international effort to aid the stricken region.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.