A man has been rescued alive after being trapped for eight days beneath the rubble of a building that collapsed following twin earthquakes in Venezuela.
Emergency workers managed to free Hernán Gil more than 100 hours after they first located him under an estimated 140 tonnes of rubble.
Allan Madrigal, a paramedic with the Costa Rican Red Cross, told journalists at the scene that Gil had “emerged just perfect” from the ordeal.
Madrigal was the rescuer who first heard Gil’s faint cries for help coming from beneath the rubble on Sunday. From that moment, rescue teams raced to dig the security guard to safety.
Gil had been on duty in a small concrete booth in the basement parking area adjacent to the GalerÃas Playa Grande Mall in Catia La Mar when the twin earthquakes struck.
Authorities believe the booth formed a protective shell around him, shielding him from the 140 tonnes of debris that collapsed around and above him.
As of Thursday evening, 2,595 people have been confirmed dead following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, while tens of thousands remain missing.