In the chaos left by a devastating 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Venezuela, rescuers discovered a powerful symbol of hope: an 18-day-old newborn pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed building. The infant was rescued 32 hours after two major seismic shocks — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale — struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
Rescue in La Guaira
The baby was recovered late Wednesday evening (June 25, 2026) in La Guaira, the country’s hardest-hit city. Footage obtained by Agence France-Presse shows rescue teams working under spotlights amid piles of debris, carefully extracting the infant amid cheers. The footage captures rescuers passing the swaddled baby — wrapped in a blanket — to one another before gently cleaning the child with tissues.
According to the social media user who shared the video, the newborn had been trapped for 32 hours. The baby’s mother was rescued about an hour later.
Mounting Toll
At least 920 people have been killed, and thousands more injured. Over 50,000 people remain unaccounted for across the region.