A YOUNG boy has been found alive in the rubble following the Venezuela earthquake – as authorities also rescued a mum and 18-day-old baby.
Astonishing footage showed the 12-year-old child being pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed building five days after the deadly quake which has left 46,000 people missing.
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Extraordinary footage showed a 12-year-old boy being saved
A dog was found in the rubble
Shocking footage showed the child being rescued alive
Thousands are feared to be dead Credit: AP
The child was pulled from the debris by the Quito Fire Department in La Guaira – with jaw-dropping clips showing rescuers finding the boy and extracting him.
The local fire department said: “After hours of work, our USAR ECU – 01 team, in coordination with the Dominican Republic team, managed to rescue 12-year-old Carlos alive, who had been trapped under the rubble in the Macuto sector, La Guaira, Venezuela.
“Five days after the earthquake, finding signs of life is the greatest boost to keep going.”
They added: “Every person rescued represents a family that regains hope and tells us it’s worth continuing the search.
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Hundreds buildings were destroyed by two violent earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela Credit: Reuters
Firefighters rescue Marlene, 80, who remained trapped in the rubble for more than 60 hours Credit: AFP
“We remain deployed in Venezuela, holding firm to our commitment to find life where others still await an answer… as long as there is a possibility, we will keep searching.”
The country was rocked by violent back-to-back quakes on June 24, with the death toll currently standing at more than 1,450 and expected to rise, while more than 3,150 people are injured.
The twin earthquakes, 39 seconds apart struck with a 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Nearly 50,000 people remain unaccounted for.
Resident Kerli Faria takes a break amid the rubble while searching for her nephews Credit: AP
Members of the ECU-11 Guayaquil Fire Department from Ecuador take part in rescue efforts Credit: Reuters
The disaster has caused between £3.5billion £6.6billion in economic damage, according to The United Nations.
It comes after Dayana Patino and little Juan David Trujillo, just 18 days old, were rescued alive.
The pair were on the eighth floor of their La Guaira flat when the building collapsed amid a terrifying quake.
She courageously fought to keep the newborn alive for 32 gruelling hours – constantly checking to make sure she was still breathing.
Search efforts in Venezuela are ongoing Credit: Reuters
The brave mum conserved her energy, only screaming when she heard nearby footsteps.
The 18-day-old baby was taken from the wreckage having been shielded by his dad Gerson’s arms.
Dayana was rescued alive about 90 minutes later – having suffered injuries to both of her legs.
She said her young son was her “motivation to stay awake and alert”.
The mum said: “As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive.”
President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez described it as “the most disastrous event” Venezuela had suffered in 123 years.
Time is now running out to find survivors as the hunt enters its seventh day, with rescue teams scouring coastal La Guaira, the hardest-hit state.
Rodriguez, who is also the acting president’s brother, said: “We are in critical hours to continue rescuing lives and to build camps where those people who have lost their homes can stay.”
He added that 3,250 are injured and 12,721 families have been impacted by the quakes, but those figures are also expected to rise.
One rescuer posted a shocking video on TikTok suggesting that the buildings were not prepared for natural disasters.
Entire neighbourhoods were levelled by Wednesday’s twin quakes, with blocks of affected buildings being constructed as part of socialist president Hugo Chavez’s “grand housing mission”.
The program was launched in response to flash floods and landslides that had displaced tens of thousands of people in 1999.
Apartment blocks were constructed at a pace in order to accommodate thousands of families, and building was accelerated to meet a political deadline when Nicolas Maduro took power in 2013.
But Venezuela’s codes and laws to protect them against future disasters were loosely followed, an earthquake risk-reduction specialist, who worked in Chavez’s government, told the Washington Post.
The alleged lack of foresight has resulted in hundreds of buildings being destroyed and their residents being buried under the rubble.
Families can still hear the groans of their loved ones trapped beneath them as they sift through the debris.
Foreign and domestic volunteers have been clawing through broken concrete with their bare hands to save as many as they can.
