12-year-old Fabiana rescued from rubble after Venezuela earthquake
A 12-year-old girl named Fabiana was rescued from a collapsed building 32 hours after the Venezuela earthquake, having survived on ketchup and cheese. The death toll has exceeded 2,300.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A 12-year-old girl named Fabiana has been rescued from the rubble of her collapsed apartment building in Venezuela, 32 hours after the earthquake struck. She survived by eating ketchup and grated cheese she found while trapped. Her rescue has become a symbol of hope in a country devastated by back-to-back quakes that have killed at least 3,342 people.
Fabiana described how she was alone beneath the debris after the building fell. She recorded a video while trapped, saying 'I'm alone, please help me,' but could not send it because communications were down. When rescuers finally reached her, she emerged walking into the arms of her mother, Karina. A video of her smiling through a hole in the rubble has been widely shared across Venezuela.
'I was moving things around me so I could extricate one of my legs from under the rubble. That's when I found some ketchup and grated cheese. It helped me stay conscious and survive,' Fabiana told reporters. Asked how she kept smiling, she said: 'That smile, which has gone all over the world, it was because after so many hours of being shot in, I heard voices and realised I was going to survive.'
Her story offers a rare ray of hope amid the widespread destruction and loss of life. The death toll from the earthquakes has now exceeded 2,300, with many still missing.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| A survivor named Fabiana was trapped for 32 hours before being rescued. | |
| At least 3,342 people died in the Venezuela earthquakes. | |
| Fabiana survived by eating ketchup and grated cheese found in the rubble. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focuses on Fabiana's personal story as a symbol of hope, highlighting her survival on ketchup and cheese and the viral video of her smile. It also provides the updated death toll of at least 3,342, framing the rescue as a positive contrast to the overall devastation.
- “I was moving things around me so I could extricate one of my legs from under the rubble. That's when I found some ketchup and grated cheese. It helped me stay conscious and survive”
- “That smile, which has gone all over the world, it was because after so many hours of being shot in, I heard voices and realised I was going to survive”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.