Hernán Gil was rescued after spending 7 days buried following Venezuela's June 24 double earthquake. Photo: AFP.
Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, a private security guard who was trapped after the double earthquake of June 24 in Venezuela while working in a building adjacent to the Galerías Playa Grande Shopping Center in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, was rescued alive on Thursday July 2. A team of more than 100 rescuers toiled for five days to unearth Flores.
At 9:15 a.m. this Thursday, journalist Jonathan Camargo of Televen reported that Hernán Gil was extracted from the security booth where he had been trapped. He was stabilized in the basement of the shopping center’s parking garage, and at 9:25 a.m., as seen live on Telesur, he was taken out by a group of rescuers and placed in an ambulance that transported him to a medical center.
(VIDEO) El momento en el que Hernán Gil, vigilante venezolano que permaneció casi 8 días bajo los escombros, es sacado por rescatistas de 7 países que trabajaron duro por 120 horas. Estaba en el Centro Comercial Playa Grande de Catia La Mar. pic.twitter.com/dNzBd76DF3
— Luigino Bracci Roa (@lubrio) July 2, 2026
It is presumed that Gil was in his security booth at the time of the tragedy. It wasn’t until July 27 that someone led Costa Rican Red Cross rescuers to the shopping center, hoping to locate another person. The president of the Venezuelan Red Cross, Luis Farías, offered a different account: that even though other agencies had declared there were no survivors in the building, a shopping center employee insisted he had heard noises.
One of the Costa Rican rescuers, Allan Madrigal, followed the protocol of asking for silence, calling out, and waiting for a response, receiving a positive answer from Gil. “Yes, yes!” he replied, Madrigal told the private channel Televen in an interview.
Since then, rescuers from Costa Rica, Venezuela, and other countries built a tunnel through 140 tons of rubble to reach Hernán Gil. In total, more than 100 rescuers worked on his rescue.
An initial plan to build a 60-by-60-centimeter tunnel was discarded on Tuesday when the building shifted slightly. “We had to develop a new work plan to try to access the site via a different route than the one we had used until last night,” Chilean rescuer Cristian Vera explained to a news agency.
Using hoses, they delivered fluids to hydrate the survivor, as well as protein formula. Rescuers were able to send a camera through so they could see him.
Leslie López, a rescuer with the Mexican Red Cross, explained to Sputnik Mundo that the rescue was very complex due to a large number of factors such as the type of structures, the type of collapse, and nearby structures that were shifting. They did not want rocks or debris to fall on Hernán Gil, so they were unable to use percussion tools and were forced to work manually.
Venezuelan journalists Jonathan Cárdenas, from Televen, and Joan Camargo have kept Venezuela informed about the rescue efforts during five days of arduous work.
Cárdenas reported on July 2 at 1 a.m. that they were very close to extracting Gil. “We just need to break one slab,” he said. Then, at 4 a.m., he reported that opening a hole through which Gil was to be removed had become complicated, and when they tried to extract him, they realized the hole was not large enough. They continued working until 9 a.m.
Hernán’s wife, Gusbimar González, provided more information about the survivor, in addition to expressing her eternal gratitude to the rescuers. “I want to thank everyone who contributed, all the rescuers from different countries, especially those from the Red Cross, and above all, the Costa Rican Red Cross, because they were the ones who reached the site, heard my husband’s voice, and realized that there were indeed people alive. This is a miracle, and I will be eternally grateful,” she told a Costa Rican news outlet.
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Hernán and Gusbimar are part of a close-knit family who live in Carayaca and have two children, explained Madelein García, a Telesur journalist. She noted that the case has been closely followed by the Venezuelan government, which has ensured that the rescuers have everything they need logistically.
(Alba Ciudad) by Luigino Bracci
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
