‘Incredible Scene’: Crews Rescue Man From Collapsed Building 8 Days After Venezuela Earthquakes

Eight days after twin earthquakes devastated areas of northern Venezuela, killing more than 2,000 people, rescue crews miraculously pulled a man alive from a collapsed nine-story building on Thursday.

Rescuers used sonar to locate the man and kept him alive by feeding him water and liquid nutrition through a straw until they were able to free him.

CNN’s Isa Soares called the operation “an incredible scene.”

“After so many days of loss and so much sadness here in this country, I have witnessed a moment of incredible joy, a moment that really made for the movies,” Soares said. “After more than 100 hours, rescue teams from around the world have been able to free 44-year-old Hernán Gil…He is a security guard on level minus two of the shopping mall. And for more than 100 hours, they’ve been working tirelessly. A herculean effort to really try to free him.”

Soares continued:

And, you know, I spoke to the Red Cross today. They were saying to me they heard a noise around 1 p.m. on Sunday…as they screamed into into the, you know, what is left of pancaked building. And he responded. That’s what started off, then, these countries from all over the world to try and get him free. Now he has been able, through all these hours, they’ve been able to give him food. They’ve been able to give him liquid medicine all through a straw. They have tried different ways in, but they did it today. He is well, and he is on his way to hospital.

One rescue worker from Chile said it was by far the most difficult rescue their fire brigade has ever made.

“We have eight floors building collapsed on the basement where the person was trapped,” the rescuer said. “So when we tried to get the person, we have secondary collapses. So it was very, very difficult, very, very dangerous. But two days ago at the day five after the earthquake, our medical team got the space to give water as by tube, so this gave us some time to work slow, but very safe.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!