**Three-Year-Old Rescued and Taken to Hospital Six Days After Venezuela Quake**
A three-year-old boy named Klieber Morán has been rescued alive from the rubble in La Guaira, Venezuela, six days after a series of devastating earthquakes struck the region. The rescue was carried out by a Jordanian civil defense team, which shared video footage of the moment Klieber was pulled from the debris, prompting cheers from the rescuers.
The boy's rescue was hailed as a beacon of hope amidst the devastation that has unfolded since the earthquakes, which registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. The tremors have resulted in a rising death toll, now reported at 1,943, with over 10,000 individuals injured and tens of thousands still unaccounted for. Initial assessments from NASA indicate that approximately 58,870 buildings have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the earthquakes.
Venezuelan Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez confirmed that Klieber received immediate first aid and was subsequently transported to a hospital in Caracas, where his vital signs were reported to be stable. The rescue occurred well beyond the critical three-day window during which experts believe survivors trapped under rubble have the highest chance of being found alive.
La Guaira has been identified as one of the hardest-hit areas, with many local residents attempting to conduct their own rescue operations. However, conditions in the region have deteriorated significantly. The United Nations has warned that food shortages are widespread, basic services have collapsed, and communications have been severely disrupted. Tensions within the community have escalated as access to aid remains limited.
Daniela Armas, an 18-year-old vendor in La Guaira who was injured during the quakes, described the dire situation, stating that while some supplies are being distributed, the competition for food has become dangerously intense. "Sometimes people nearly kill each other for food... it's like a cockfight," she remarked.
In response to the crisis, the UN's refugee agency has requested an initial $15 million to provide essential relief items, protection, and temporary shelter for 30,000 people affected by the earthquakes over the next six months. The World Health Organization has also raised alarms about the strain on health services, warning of an increased risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria due to low vaccination coverage.
Rodríguez emphasized that Klieber's rescue serves as a reminder that there is still hope for finding additional survivors, and he noted that both domestic and international teams continue to search through the rubble. Shelters have been established in La Guaira and other affected states to accommodate those displaced by the earthquakes.
International rescue teams from various countries, including the United States and Mexico, are actively participating in the search for survivors, utilizing trained dogs and heavy equipment to aid their efforts. Humanitarian aid is beginning to arrive, with a UN spokesperson reporting the arrival of a 47-ton shipment of supplies, including emergency health kits and materials for safe childbirth and disease prevention.
As rescue efforts continue, many Venezuelans are beginning to mourn their losses, with families starting to bury the dead who have been recovered. At a makeshift morgue in La Guaira's port, Wilker Molalla expressed his grief as he awaited the identification of his sister and her children, along with the children of his brother. "There were 11 people in my household," he shared. "Only two of us survived because we were at work."
The situation in Venezuela remains critical as the nation grapples with the aftermath of the earthquakes, and the international community watches closely, hoping for further rescues and a swift response to the urgent humanitarian needs of those affected.