Security guard rescued eight days after Venezuela earthquake
A security guard was rescued alive from a collapsed shopping center eight days after the Venezuela earthquake. The death toll has exceeded 2,300, and a DEC appeal has been launched for survivors.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A security guard has been pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed shopping centre in Venezuela, eight days after the country was hit by twin earthquakes. Hernan Alberto Gil Flores, a night-time security guard, was trapped nearly 30 feet underground in the basement of a shopping mall in the coastal town of La Guaira. Rescuers from Venezuela, Chile, El Salvador and the United States worked for more than 100 hours to free him, feeding him water and supplements through a pipe and talking to him through a wall of debris. His wife, Lizbema Gonzalez, held a vigil outside throughout the operation. 'I'm very excited and thankful to God because he gave him another chance to live,' she said. The rescue was hailed as a miracle in a country reeling from devastation. The official death toll has climbed above 2,300, with tens of thousands still missing. Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, and hospital morgues have been overwhelmed. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an appeal for survivors. However, the government's response has faced sharp criticism. Many survivors say they have received no help from authorities and are relying on handouts from aid agencies. Footage has emerged of police officers looting abandoned homes. Residents have also claimed that poorly constructed buildings contributed to the scale of the disaster. The acting president, Delcie Rodriguez, has rejected the criticism, accusing the media of stirring up anti-government sentiment. She said the state was militarised to allow search and rescue specialists to work, and insisted there would be no mass graves. The rescue of Hernan Gil Flores is likely to be one of the last, as the country now prepares to bury its dead.
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 NEWS | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The death toll from the earthquake was reported as ranging from nearly 200 to nearly 2,600. | |||||
| The death toll from the earthquakes was reported as between 2,300 and 3,000. | |||||
| A security guard named Hernan Gil Flores was rescued from a collapsed shopping centre eight days after the earthquake, having been trapped under debris. | · | ||||
| The death toll from the earthquake in Venezuela was reported to be between 2,300 and 2,600. | · | · | |||
| Broadcasters reported that the government provided no help to survivors and that police were looting. | · | · | · | ||
| Police officers were reported to be looting abandoned homes instead of helping survivors. | · | · | · | ||
| Rescue teams from multiple countries, including Venezuela, Chile, El Salvador, and the US, were involved in the operation. | · | · | · | ||
| Rescuers built wooden props to hold up the walls before drilling through to reach the guard. | · | · | · | ||
| Tens of thousands of people were reported missing after the earthquakes. | · | · | · | ||
| The government was reported to have provided no food, medicine, or rescue equipment, and displaced people received no help. | · | · | · | ||
| The official death toll from the earthquake had climbed above 2,300, with tens of thousands still missing and the real toll expected to be higher. | · | · | · | ||
| An 11-year-old boy was pulled alive from the rubble after three days. | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1's coverage focused on the emotional rescue story and the broader failure of the Venezuelan government. The channel highlighted the 'miracle' of the rescue while also reporting on survivors being left to fend for themselves, looting by police, and a lack of government help. The tone was sympathetic to the victims but critical of the authorities.
- “This is the rescue no one thought possible this long after the earthquake.”
- “They are pretty useless. There were a lot of like 24, 88 hour, the golden hours that we need to save people and they weren't there.”
- “In this situation, there were a lot of police officers who were looting, looking for what they can take.”
Channel 4's report concentrated on the technical details of the rescue and the broader humanitarian crisis. It provided specific information about the depth of the entrapment and the methods used to keep the guard alive. The channel also emphasised the rising death toll and the logistical challenges of handling the dead, such as the delivery of extra coffins.
- “Hernan was trapped 29 feet below ground.”
- “Emergency workers kept him alive by passing food and medication through a pipe and water through a syringe.”
- “At the Laguera port, hundreds of extra coffins have been delivered.”
BBC ONE West provided a detailed, on-the-ground account of the rescue, including the use of wooden props and a camera to locate the guard. The channel also included the wife's emotional reaction and the broader context of the disaster, reporting that the death toll had risen to nearly 3,000 and that more than 40,000 people were missing. The tone was factual and humanising.
- “It's taken a mammoth, mammoth rescue effort.”
- “I'm very excited and thankful to God because he gave him another chance to live.”
- “These are the moments that are keeping rescuers and people going in Venezuela, as they face the aftermath of a brutal disaster.”
BBC NEWS focused on the political and official response to the earthquake, reporting that the interim president said almost every official in the worst-hit state died and that there would be no mass graves. The channel also provided the rescue story with similar detail to BBC ONE West, but added the death toll of nearly 2,600 and the criticism of authorities' preparedness.
- “Venezuela's interim president, Delcie Rodriguez, says that almost every official in LaGuardia state at the epicentre of last week's powerful twin earthquakes died in the event.”
- “Ms. Rodriguez added that there would be no mass graves following the earthquake, amid growing criticism around the preparedness of authorities.”
- “It was a moment that had been in the making for days.”
Sky News provided the most critical coverage of the government's response, with analysis from a correspondent who described the acting president as 'defensive' and 'brittle'. The channel also ran a separate, in-depth report on the plight of children, including the story of an 11-year-old boy rescued after three days and the collapse of a housing complex built under Hugo Chavez. The tone was investigative and sympathetic to the victims.
- “She's sounding very defensive, quite brittle, actually.”
- “The first narrative concocted in the media was everyone should go down to Liguara to cause chaos to hinder the search and rescue efforts.”
- “I saw an 11 year old boy pulled alive from the rubble and she's gone back to try and find him.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.