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A newborn baby has been rescued alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela, more than 32 hours after twin earthquakes devastated parts of the South American country.
The rescue took place in the coastal city of La Guaira, one of the communities worst affected by Wednesday’s powerful earthquakes.
Videos shared on social media showed emergency workers carefully pulling the infant from the debris before handing the baby to a man believed to be the child’s father. The baby’s mother was rescued alive from the same building a short time later.
The rescue has emerged as one of the few moments of hope amid the country’s worst natural disaster in decades, as search teams continue to comb through collapsed buildings in a race against time.
According to AFP, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said more than 50,000 people remain unaccounted for following the disaster.
The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck northern Venezuela less than a minute apart on Wednesday evening while many residents were at home observing a national holiday.
The powerful tremors flattened homes, schools and public infrastructure across several communities, leaving thousands homeless and forcing many families into emergency shelters.
Search-and-rescue operations remain underway across the affected region as emergency personnel continue searching for survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Humanitarian organisations are also stepping up efforts to provide displaced residents with food, clean water, shelter and medical assistance.
