Photo: IANS
A child has been rescued alive from the debris of a collapsed building in Venezuela, six days after the country was struck by two powerful earthquakes that caused widespread destruction.
The boy, identified by Reuters as Klieber Moran, was reportedly the only survivor found during the sixth day of rescue operations, according to Venezuelan officials. He was rescued from the Los Corales Garden 1 building in La Guaira state by a team of rescuers from Jordan, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in a statement shared through Telegram, The Guardian reported.
Venezuela experienced two major earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude within less than a minute last Wednesday. The tremors brought down buildings and left thousands trapped beneath the rubble, according to authorities and emergency teams.
Rodríguez said the child was three years old, while National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez described him as two years old. The boy was taken to a medical facility for treatment following his rescue.
Jorge Rodríguez said the rescue renewed hopes that more people could still be found alive under the collapsed structures. He said the child was receiving care at a health centre in Caracas.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) sent 47 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Venezuela to assist children and families affected by the disaster. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the shipment included emergency medical supplies, materials for safe childbirth, newborn care, disease prevention, and treatment support.
Venezuelan authorities have reported more than 1,900 deaths and over 10,000 injuries. However, experts have warned that the actual toll could be significantly higher as rescue teams continue recovering bodies from the ruins and medical facilities struggle to manage the number of casualties.
A humanitarian emergency is also developing among survivors, with UN agencies expressing concern over the health risks faced by thousands of displaced people who have been sleeping outdoors or in overcrowded shelters with poor sanitation.
According to estimates from NASA, nearly 59,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people. UNICEF said that around 680,000 children across Venezuela require humanitarian assistance following the earthquakes.