A three-year-old boy has been rescued alive from the rubble six days after the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela, offering a rare moment of hope as the death toll continues to climb and the United Nations warns of worsening humanitarian conditions.
The child, identified as Klieber Morán, was pulled from the debris in La Guaira state by a Jordanian rescue team, according to Venezuelan authorities.
Interim President Delcy RodrĂguez hailed the dramatic rescue, describing it as a symbol of hope for the country.
“A source of hope for our people.”
Jordanian civil defence officials said Klieber received first aid at the scene before being transferred to hospital, adding that his vital signs were stable.
Venezuelan Assembly President Jorge RodrĂguez later confirmed the boy was receiving treatment in the capital, Caracas, and said the rescue demonstrated that there was still hope of finding more survivors despite the passage of nearly a week since the disaster.
“Klieber’s rescue shows there is still hope of continuing to find people alive,” RodrĂguez said, adding that domestic and international rescue teams were continuing to search through collapsed buildings. He also noted that shelters had already been opened in La Guaira and other affected states.
The rescue came well beyond the critical 72-hour window after an earthquake, a period during which experts say people trapped beneath collapsed structures have the greatest chance of survival.
The twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, have so far claimed at least 1,943 lives, injured more than 10,000 people and left tens of thousands unaccounted for.
Preliminary satellite analysis by NASA indicates that about 58,870 buildings were either damaged or destroyed by the powerful tremors.
As rescue operations continue, the United Nations has warned that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, with tens of thousands of survivors urgently requiring food, shelter and other basic necessities.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said food shortages had become widespread in the hardest-hit areas, while essential services and communications had largely collapsed in La Guaira.
“Community tensions are rising as access to assistance remains constrained,” the UNHCR said in a statement.
The agency appealed for an initial $15 million to expand emergency assistance.The funding is needed to “scale up protection, core relief items, and temporary shelter support for 30,000 earthquake-affected people over six months,” the agency said.
Residents described growing desperation as aid struggled to reach those affected.
Daniela Armas, an 18-year-old street vendor who was injured after falling from a motorbike during the earthquakes, said competition for scarce supplies was becoming increasingly dangerous.
“Some supplies are being distributed but sometimes people nearly kill each other for food… it’s like a cockfight,” she told AFP.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that the country’s healthcare system was facing enormous strain.
“There’s an increased risk now of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases” such as measles and diphtheria due to low vaccination coverage, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.
International rescue teams from the United States, Mexico and dozens of other countries remain on the ground, using trained search dogs and heavy equipment to locate survivors beneath collapsed buildings.
Humanitarian assistance has also begun arriving in Venezuela. A United Nations spokesperson said a 47-tonne shipment of emergency supplies reached the country on Tuesday, including medical kits for urgent healthcare, safe childbirth, newborn care and disease prevention.
Meanwhile, families have started burying those whose bodies have been recovered, while thousands more continue waiting for news of missing relatives.
At a makeshift morgue at La Guaira’s port, Wilker Molalla said he was waiting to identify the bodies of several family members, including his sister, her children and his brother’s children, underscoring the immense human tragedy left in the wake of the disaster.
Boluwatife Enome
