Search-and-rescue efforts continued throughout Venezuela Monday as five days have now passed since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes rattled the country.
According to United Nation agencies, over 1,400 people have been found dead due to the earthquakes. The natural disasters resulted in an estimated $6.7 billion in damages as several buildings collapsed in Caracas, La Guaira and Carabobo.
The golden window, the 72-hour period following a disaster when survivability is most likely, has now passed, but teams continue their searches in hope of miracles.
Amid the rubble and wreckage, stories of hope have permeated the dark days of tragedy throughout the country. Thousands of search-and-rescue workers from 27 countries have joined together in search of the thousands who remain missing.
World joins hands to help
For several decades, Venezuela has been a pariah to Western nations. Since the removal of Nicolás Maduro in January, the country has gradually shifted to partnering with those nations, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Neighboring countries Brazil and Colombia have provided search-and-rescue teams alongside countries like the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Cuba. Other nations have sent supplies and medical personnel.
The U.N. also provided rescuers and demonstrated its support for the country.
The Vatican announced it will send 100,000 euros to aid with disaster relief and Pope Leo XIV offered a prayer for the people of Venezuela.
Turkey, Spain, Germany, France, India and China are among the many other countries that are sending money and personnel to aid in the disastrous aftermath of the earthquakes.
Venezuela, a country in the middle of economic and political uncertainty, will receive “swift, comprehensive, and whole-of-government response to save lives and deliver urgently needed relief,” said a statement released by the U.S. State Department.
“The United States,” the statement continued, “is committed to sustaining this response and ensuring that the Venezuelan people receive the full measure of American support as they work to recover from this tragedy.”
Mother and infant son rescued
A mother and 18-day-old baby were rescued from their collapsed home on Thursday night.
When Dayana Patino felt the ground begin to tremble, she rushed to cradle her infant son. She told the BBC, “I felt like I was sinking in water and dirt, and then I fell into the pit where I remained. I don’t know how I didn’t let go of my baby because I was flying. I got crushed against furniture.”
Trapped under the concrete, Patino decided to save her energy and not scream until she could hear people nearby.
Patino said her son was her “motivation to be awake and alert.”
After hearing her brother calling her name, she yelled out to signal that she was trapped but alive. He called for a rescue team and Patino and her son were safely removed from their building.
When Patino’s husband Gerson found the apartment, he dreaded what might have happened. After they were pulled from the rubble, he told BBC, “It was indescribable. I thought they were dead. And when I saw my son I felt like I was born again. I couldn’t believe it. … I felt the life come back to me.”
The baby, Juan David, has since become a symbol of hope for Venezuela.
2 young boys pulled from rubble
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez told local news that 33 people were rescued over the weekend. Among those found, two 11-year-old boys were rescued on Sunday.
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management located one of the boys and was able to extract him from nearly 10 feet of debris.
Only hours after the first 11-year-old boy was found, a second was found in the town of Caraballeda.
“Each life saved is a victory for hope,” Rodríguez said in a post on X showing the rescue of the second boy.
Man reunited with wife, 2 children
One man spoke with NBC and described his experience searching for his family in the rubble.
José Alberto Gallipoli was searching through his crumbled building and calling out for his son when he heard his son whisper.
Jofram, Jose’s son, was trapped in the wreckage of the family’s seven-story building alongside his mom and 4-year-old son.
Rescuers worked diligently for hours until the family was safely removed from the collapsed building. The family emerged mostly unharmed, hugging and expressing gratitude to those who helped rescue them.