Miracle survival: man rescued after 8 days trapped under Venezuelan mall ruins

Neena Mae Rayos, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
July 3, 2026

(Photo Courtesy: Canva)

VENEZUELA – Rescuers in Venezuela’s La Guaira state have pulled a 44-year-old security guard from the rubble of the collapsed Galerias Playa Grande shopping mall, after more than a week.

Alberto Gil, who worked at the nine-story center, was trapped for nearly eight days following two massive earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes that struck the northern coast less than a minute apart.

International rescue teams from Chile, the U.S., Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Venezuela worked alongside local volunteers, digging two unstable tunnels to reach him while providing hydration through tubing.

His rescue on Thursday morning was met with cheers from onlookers, and his wife, Gusbimar Gonzalez, described her husband as a warrior who endured the ordeal against all odds.

“I’m grateful to God for keeping him alive for so many days,” she said.

The twin quakes have already claimed 2,295 lives, with unofficial lists still showing around 38,600 people missing, though that number has dropped from a peak of nearly 60,000.

While the Venezuelan government has emphasized civilian-military cooperation, the rescue effort has largely been driven by ordinary citizens—teachers, veterinarians, and students—who have been digging with basic tools due to a severe lack of heavy machinery.

Humanitarian aid has poured in, including 2,000 metric tons of supplies from abroad and a field hospital set up by the Brazilian Navy, but challenges remain.

The World Health Organization warns that the disaster has worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, straining a health system that has lost many of its own workers.

Amidst the tragedy, small victories—like Gil’s survival—offer fragile glimmers of hope to families still searching for their loved ones.