A 2-year-old boy was pulled alive from rubble in Venezuela on Tuesday, six days after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes devastated the country's northern coast.
Klieber Moran was extracted by Jordanian emergency workers operating in La Guaira, the region that sustained the heaviest damage when the twin earthquakes struck last Wednesday. Venezuelan acting President Delcy RodrÃguez announced the rescue via Telegram, noting that the child had been transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
The official death toll climbed to 1,943 by Tuesday, with more than 10,500 injured, according to National Assembly President Jorge RodrÃguez.
Three Urban Search and Rescue teams from Virginia, California, and Florida were deployed to Venezuela on Friday. The teams arrived with over 200,000 pounds of specialized equipment, 312 personnel, and 18 canine units staffed by firefighters, structural engineers, physicians, and search specialists. The U.S. government also announced a $150 million aid package.
On Saturday, American rescue teams also recovered a 9-month-old infant and her mother, who suffered only minor injuries.
On Tuesday, a 47-metric-ton shipment of humanitarian supplies arrived from UNICEF, including emergency health kits, materials for safe childbirth, newborn care provisions, and disease prevention supplies.
Moran's survival after six days beneath rubble demonstrates that survivors can be found days after initial collapse, which has implications for how long rescue operations should be sustained.
