Venezuela quake toll climbs as man is rescued alive after eight days

Rescuers pulled a man alive from a collapsed mall in Venezuela nearly eight days after the earthquakes. The rare rescue brought brief relief as the death toll rose, health fears spread and Delcy Rodríguez faced mounting pressure.

In Short

• Thousands remained missing, sheltering outdoors or in crowded temporary camps
• Black smoke, body bags and caskets underscored the devastation in La Guaira
• Doctors feared untreated injuries and infections could spark a wider health emergency

Eight days after Venezuela's devastating earthquakes, rescue teams were still searching for survivors even as the scale of the disaster grew clearer. The government said at least 2,295 people had been killed and more than 11,000 wounded as of Wednesday, while thousands more were missing or staying in crowded shelters or out in the open.

Amid the destruction, rescuers pulled a 43-year-old man alive from the rubble after he had been buried for nearly eight days. The rescue offered a brief moment of relief in a crisis that has also brought criticism of the government's response, concern over a worsening medical emergency, and uncertainty over Acting President Delcy Rodrguez's position as the deadline for her 180-day mandate approached.

In the port city of Catia La Mar, black smoke rose from fires in flattened buildings and the smell of decomposing bodies spread across the ruins on Thursday. In northern La Guaira, officials carried body bags and stacked caskets as families continued to search through the rubble for missing relatives.

Rescuers from across the Americas worked for about 100 hours to pull Hernan Alberto Gil Flores from the collapsed shopping mall where he had been trapped. He survived in an air pocket, living on water and sustenance that rescuers passed to him through the rubble. He was taken out on a stretcher and carried to an ambulance as crowds cheered in a rare moment of joy. Thousands of others did not survive.

The aftermath has also raised fears of a wider medical crisis. Medics are worried that untreated injuries and infectious diseases could spread in a healthcare system that was already on the brink before the earthquakes.

Rodrguez continued to face mounting criticism from Venezuelans over what many described as the government's inadequate handling of the disaster, with civilian and international rescue efforts far overshadowing the official response. The criticism came a day before the extension of her 180-day mandate as acting leader was due to expire. Rodrguez had served as deputy to former President Nicolas Maduro until he was ousted by the United States in January, after which she became interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration.

With little transparency from Venezuelan officials, it remained unclear what would happen after the deadline passed on Friday. Under Venezuela's constitution, temporary absences are to be filled by the vice president for up to 90 days, and these interim appointments can be extended by the national assembly for another 90 days. Rodrguez has strong support from lawmakers and the Trump administration. The National Assembly, controlled by her party, can also call a snap election if lawmakers declare the post permanently vacant.

The United States again backed Rodrguez's government on Wednesday, with officials saying 900 military personnel were on the ground to support relief and rescue operations. John M Barrett, the US charge d'affaires to Venezuela, rejected allegations that Rodrguez was politicising the response. During a call with reporters, Barrett said the US effort "does require a high level of coordination with local authorities to be successful". "And what I can say with confidence is that the local authorities have fully complied with our requests and have accelerated this massive humanitarian response," he said.

Gen Francis Donovan, head of US Southern Command, said during the same call that "decades of poor investment in the people of Venezuela" had "made this even more challenging for the current government". "It is a big problem for any leader to deal with a challenge of this magnitude," Donovan said.

As rescue teams continued to search the rubble and grieving families looked for missing relatives, Venezuela remained caught between a deepening humanitarian crisis, political questions over its leadership, and the fading hope of finding more survivors.

With PTI Inputs

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