Rescuers Pull Hernán Gil Alive From 140 Tonnes of Rubble After 8 Days
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 2
Rescuers Pull Hernán Gil Alive From 140 Tonnes of Rubble After 8 Days
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 2
Summary
Hernán Gil was freed alive in Catia La Mar after eight days trapped beneath 140 tonnes of debris from a collapsed shopping-centre structure.
More than 100 hours after first locating him, teams from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States finally reached him despite repeated collapses in access ducts.
Camera footage showed Gil conscious and responsive overnight; rescuers had passed him a face mask, goggles, water and an intravenous drip, and Costa Rican Red Cross official Ricardo Arias said he was stable.
Gil had been on duty in a small concrete booth beside the Galerias Playa Grande mall when the 24 June twin quakes struck, and the booth appears to have shielded him from being crushed.
The rescue stands out against a disaster that has killed nearly 2,300 people in Venezuela, with tens of thousands still missing.
Beyond one man's miracle rescue, what is the recovery plan for a nation already deep in crisis?
Could stronger building codes have prevented the catastrophic collapse that killed thousands and trapped one man?
Surviving Eight Days: Hernán Gil’s Rescue and the Global Response to Venezuela’s 2026 Earthquakes
Overview
As of July 2, 2026, an intense international effort is underway to rescue Hernán Gil, who has survived eight days trapped beneath rubble after catastrophic earthquakes in Venezuela. While hope for finding more survivors had faded, Gil remains alive and in contact with the outside world, making his case a focal point of global attention. The disaster claimed nearly 2,300 lives and left thousands unaccounted for, but Gil’s survival defies grim statistics and inspires rescuers. This unprecedented mission highlights both the scale of the tragedy and the extraordinary determination to save even a single life.