Hundreds of rescue workers are making efforts to save a 43-year-old Venezuelan citizen who managed to survive for a week under the rubble of a 7-story building. Security guard Hernán Gil (43) remains trapped inside the guard booth at the base of the building where he worked in Catia La Mar, a coastal area almost completely leveled by the two devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24. Rescue teams from seven countries have been working for three days to reach him.

2,300 dead

The death toll from the two devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week has risen to 2,300. The President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, stated that more than 11,000 people were injured in the disaster, noting that emergency and civil defense teams continue search and rescue operations amid the rubble in affected areas to provide urgent medical care and set up shelters for citizens who lost their homes. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of mourning for the victims, and official data from the Venezuelan government stated that the mourning decree includes flying flags at half-staff over all government buildings, public institutions, and diplomatic missions abroad.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of mourning for the victims, and official data from the Venezuelan government stated that the mourning decree includes flying flags at half-staff over all government buildings, public institutions, and diplomatic missions abroad. #اليوم for more:... pic.twitter.com/2jwwxxlfUo — Al-Yaum (@alyaum) July 2, 2026

Tens of thousands missing

The two successive earthquakes, of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, the strongest tremors to hit Venezuela in over a century, have left tens of thousands missing, putting medics in a frantic race against time to find survivors under piles of collapsed buildings.

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Based on satellite images, the US space agency (NASA) estimates that nearly 58,870 buildings have been damaged or completely destroyed in the affected area. Bad weather is hampering the work of medics, who had to suspend nighttime rescue attempts in La Guaira due to heavy rains that stopped at dawn.