A three-year-old boy has been rescued alive from the rubble six days after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, offering a rare moment of relief amid a growing humanitarian crisis and rising death toll.
The child, identified as Klieber Morán, was pulled from collapsed debris in La Guaira state by a Jordanian rescue team assisting local authorities in ongoing search and recovery operations.
Officials said the boy received immediate first aid at the scene before being transferred to hospital in Caracas, where his condition was reported to be stable.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez described the rescue as a “source of hope,” noting that it demonstrates the possibility of finding more survivors despite the passage of nearly a week since the disaster.
The boy’s rescue came well beyond the critical 72-hour survival window typically associated with earthquake disasters, as rescue teams continue to search through collapsed buildings across affected regions.
Venezuelan authorities said domestic and international teams remain active on the ground, with shelters already opened for displaced residents in La Guaira and other impacted areas.
The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, have reportedly killed at least 1,943 people, injured more than 10,000, and left tens of thousands missing.
Preliminary satellite assessments by NASA indicate that nearly 58,870 buildings were damaged or destroyed, worsening the scale of destruction across affected communities.
The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, with shortages of food, clean water, and shelter increasing in the hardest-hit areas.
The UN refugee agency, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said tensions are rising as access to aid remains limited, urging urgent international support to address growing needs.
It appealed for $15 million to expand emergency relief operations, including shelter, protection services, and essential supplies for tens of thousands of survivors.
The World Health Organisation also raised concerns about potential disease outbreaks due to weakened healthcare systems and low vaccination coverage in affected regions.
International rescue teams from several countries, including the United States and Mexico, continue search efforts using specialised equipment and trained dogs, while humanitarian supplies are gradually arriving to support survivors.
As recovery operations continued, many families remained in uncertainty, with thousands still waiting for news of missing relatives amid widespread devastation across Venezuela.
