Rescuers free trapped Venezuelan family after twin earthquakes in La Guaira

José Alberto Gallipoli heard a faint whisper from beneath the wreckage of a seven-story apartment building in La Guaira, and it was his son. After more than 24 hours trapped with his wife and 4-year-old son, Jofram Gallipoli and his family were pulled from the rubble alive.

Gallipoli had walked on foot from Caracas, about 20 miles away, after the twin earthquakes struck late Wednesday night, June 25. The quakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 and hit less than a minute apart, shaking one of the hardest-hit areas in the country and leaving rescuers to search through unstable debris for signs of life. The temblors were among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.

Inside the collapsed building, the family had no food, electricity or water. He feared they would run out of oxygen before rescuers could reach them. Crews told the trapped family to speak and knock in specific places so they could pinpoint where to dig without causing the structure to fail further. By the time they were freed, the family appeared to be together and unharmed.

By Friday morning, at least 589 people had died, with thousands injured and thousands still missing, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said. Rescue crews from around the world were arriving as the Venezuelan military helped secure La Guaira, where search teams were also distributing food and water. Rodríguez described the reunions as a moment of joy.

Communications and power were cut off in parts of the affected area, while preventive evacuations were carried out in several cities as aftershocks continued. The International Organization for Migration put the number of potentially affected people at up to 6.76 million, including about 2 million in Caracas.