Salvadoran Rescuers Free 15-Year-Old Girl From Venezuela Rubble as Quake Death Toll Tops 920
Updated
Updated · WPLG Local 10 · Jun 26
Salvadoran Rescuers Free 15-Year-Old Girl From Venezuela Rubble as Quake Death Toll Tops 920
3 articles · Updated · WPLG Local 10 · Jun 26
Summary
Before sunrise Saturday, Salvadoran teams pulled 15-year-old Camila Sofía Medina Rivas from a collapsed apartment building in Caraballeda after locating her alive a day earlier.
Camila had been trapped with her dog on the ninth floor of the Bahía Mar complex after 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes hit Venezuela; rescuers said they had to break through several walls to reach her safely.
Bukele said the teams first rescued Camila’s dog, Chanel, and shared audio in which the girl told rescuers she could move only her legs while her mother waited below.
About 300 Salvadoran rescuers with 150 tons of equipment were deployed to La Guaira in less than 35 hours, and also worked to extract another survivor, 39-year-old Nayarit Colmenares, from a separate building.
The rescue came as Venezuela’s official death toll from the quakes rose above 920, underscoring the scale of the disaster in the country’s north.
Venezuela's building codes were a known risk. Do heroic rescues distract from a preventable catastrophe?
El Salvador's rapid deployment was praised. How is President Bukele reshaping the model for international disaster relief?
A rare 'seismic doublet' toppled buildings. Could this devastating one-two punch happen along other major fault lines?
June 2026 Venezuela Earthquakes: 1,200+ Dead, 100,000 Displaced, and the Global Response
Overview
On June 24, 2026, powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, causing widespread devastation and immense human suffering. By June 29, the death toll had risen to 1,200, with over 5,000 injured and the healthcare system under severe strain. An estimated 2,500 people remained missing, and hopes for their rescue faded as time passed. The destruction of buildings and infrastructure made rescue efforts difficult, while thousands were displaced and in urgent need of aid. The scale of the disaster highlighted the challenges faced by emergency teams and the urgent need for coordinated relief and recovery efforts.