BBC Report: 3-year-old boy rescued from rubble six days after Venezuela earthquake
A three-year-old boy has been rescued from the rubble six days after the earthquake in Venezuela. The child’s name is Kleiber Moran. Leaders of the country’s interim government have described his miraculous rescue as a symbol of hope. British media outlet BBC News reported this information in a report today, Wednesday (July 1).
A Jordanian rescue team said that the child was rescued alive from under the rubble in the state of La Guaira. A video circulated on social media shows rescuers pulling the child out of the rubble. The country’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said that the success of the rescue operation was a “moment of hope” amid the disaster.
Jordan’s Civil Defense Department said that the child was given first aid immediately after the rescue and was later admitted to hospital. His physical condition is stable. Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez said he was receiving treatment in the capital Caracas. Experts say the first 72 hours after an earthquake are the most critical time to rescue people trapped under rubble. As such, the child’s survival after six days is extremely rare and miraculous.
Death toll rises to 1,943
Two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 last week have killed 1,943 people so far. More than 10,000 people have been injured. In addition, thousands are still missing. According to an initial satellite-based assessment by the US space agency NASA, the earthquake may have damaged or destroyed about 58,870 buildings. Thousands of people in food and shelter crisis
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned that tens of thousands of people in the earthquake-hit areas are in urgent need of food and shelter. The agency said that food shortages are widespread in La Guaira. Basic services have collapsed and communications are almost cut off. Tensions are also rising among locals as aid deliveries are disrupted.
Daniela Armas, an 18-year-old injured local resident, told AFP that although some relief supplies have been distributed, it is not enough. People are sometimes fighting over food. The UNHCR said that $15 million in aid is needed over the next six months to provide emergency relief, protection and temporary shelter for the 30,000 people affected.
The World Health Organization (WHO), on the other hand, says that Venezuela’s health system is currently under extreme pressure. Christian Lindmeier, a spokesman for the organization, warned that the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, has increased. Rescue operations are still ongoing. However, while the chances of finding anyone alive are decreasing as time goes on, the miraculous rescue of Kleber Moran has given new hope to the affected people.
