Two boys rescued from Venezuela earthquake rubble after days of being trapped
Two 11-year-old boys have separately been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings within hours of each other, after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. Video footage
Two 11-year-old boys have separately been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings within hours of each other, after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. Video footage of the first boy, named as Moises, showed him being pulled from the twisted debris - his eyes covered to protect them from the sun - to the applause of rescuers.
Hours later, interim President Delcy Rodríquez announced another 11-year-old boy had been rescued, and posted a video of him on X, being carried down a huge mound of wreckage on a stretcher. Since the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on Wednesday, officials have confirmed at least 1,430 deaths. Tens of thousands of people are still missing.
It has now been more than 85 hours since the first quake, but rescuers are not giving up hope, saying people could still be alive, especially if they have access to food and water under the rubble. The two earthquakes, which struck within 39 seconds, caused hundreds of buildings to collapse and many people remain trapped inside.
Desperate families have been digging through the debris by hand, trying to find their loved ones. Some have told the BBC that they can hear people under the rubble, but cannot move the heavy slabs of concrete, and are waiting anxiously for heavy machinery to arrive.
The BriefWire