Two Boys Rescued After Days Trapped in Venezuela Earthquake Rubble
Two 11-year-old boys were rescued separately from the debris of collapsed buildings within hours of each other following powerful earthquakes in Venezuela.
Video footage showed the first boy, identified as Moises, being extracted from twisted rubble with his eyes covered to shield them from the sun, amid applause from rescuers.
Hours later, interim President Delcy Rodríquez announced the rescue of another 11-year-old boy and shared a video on X showing him being carried on a stretcher down a large pile of wreckage.
Since the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck on Wednesday, officials have confirmed at least 1,430 deaths, with tens of thousands still missing.
More than 85 hours have passed since the first quake, but rescuers remain hopeful that survivors could still be alive, especially if they have access to food and water beneath the rubble.
The two earthquakes, occurring within 39 seconds of each other, caused hundreds of buildings to collapse, leaving many trapped inside. Families have been digging through debris by hand in search of loved ones.
Some have reported hearing voices under the rubble but are unable to move heavy concrete slabs, awaiting the arrival of heavy machinery.
Details of Moises’ Rescue
Moises was trapped under approximately 3 meters (9.8 feet) of debris. Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported that rescuers spent six hours performing "high-precision work" on Saturday to reach him.
According to , a rescuer was overheard on a walkie-talkie stating that Moises was found near his sister and mother, both of whom had died.
Second Boy Rescued in Caraballeda
Later, Delcy Rodríguez posted a video on X showing the rescue of the second 11-year-old boy in the town of Caraballeda.
"In these hours, every life is hope for Venezuela," she wrote.
Officials reported that the coastal region of La Guaira, where Caraballeda is located, has been the hardest hit.
Rescue efforts have been complicated by aftershocks, which continue to frighten residents.
"To be honest, it makes you feel kind of nervous. Any little noise... horrible," said Jesús Andueza, a 64-year-old bus driver, to BBC Mundo.
Thousands have taken refuge in their cars or are camping in open areas such as the airport and golf course to avoid buildings at risk of collapse.
Emergency Response Center at Caraballeda Golf Course
The golf course in Caraballeda has become a central hub for emergency response.
Its once perfectly manicured green lawn now serves as a makeshift hospital and donation center, where residents who lost everything sift through donated clothing and humanitarian aid boxes.
Nearby, a strip of land adjacent to a small lagoon has been designated as a landing pad for helicopters delivering supplies and emergency personnel from Venezuela and abroad.
The streets around the golf course are cracked and covered in rubble, marked by dust and silence, interrupted only by heavy machinery and people searching through the debris.
Personal Accounts from Survivors
Milagros González, a resident of Caribe, told BBC Mundo that her building was one of the few that did not collapse, and she fled immediately to the golf course with her family.
"I left with my two young daughters and my two elderly relatives. But thank God we got out alive. The building can't be lived in. But we're alive, which is what matters," she said.
González added that she experiences dizziness and the sensation of shaking whenever she lies down.
"A psychologist just told me that it's part of the process," she said, while her daughters played with dolls on a mattress on the grass.
Donated clothing has been accumulating at the Caraballeda golf course for residents who have lost everything.
Additional Emergency Centers and Government Response
In a separate video message on Sunday, Delcy Rodríguez stated that the José María Vargas sports complex in La Guaira is also functioning as an emergency response center.
She noted that the armed forces are organizing clothes, medicine, and food supplies.
"Everything is functioning as well as possible during these terrible moments, these terrible hours, that our people are enduring," Rodríguez said.
"Let them know that no one here is alone, not a single family or individual need [to] feel alone. Our people and our state are here, the social protection system is here, and international solidarity is here."
Challenges and International Assistance
Despite these efforts, frustration has grown among residents, with some criticizing the government’s response as slow and inefficient. In severely affected areas such as Caribe and Tanaguarena, debris removal has yet to begin in some locations.
International rescue teams from Mexico, Spain, Qatar, the United States, and the United Kingdom have arrived in recent days to support search operations.
The United Nations’ Tom Fletcher reported on Saturday that 39 search and rescue teams have been deployed worldwide, each comprising 50 to 100 personnel.
"You're looking at almost 2,000 people surging in, 111 dogs, medical teams as well. We go in with these micro drones, they call them cockroach drones, that help us find people in the buildings."
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