U.S. Rescue Team Pulls 9-Month-Old From Rubble in Venezuela Days After Twin Earthquakes
American search-and-rescue personnel pulled a 9-month-old infant alive from the wreckage in Venezuela on Saturday, more than three days after two powerful earthquakes devastated the country's northern coast, the U.S. State Department confirmed.
The infant, along with her mother, was rescued from a collapsed structure in Catia La Mar, a coastal town west of Caracas that suffered some of the heaviest damage. Both survived with only minor injuries, according to the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team (USA-01), which had been deployed to Venezuela on June 26 following a State Department activation.
Video of the rescue, shared by the State Department on social media, showed personnel carefully lifting the baby from beneath a pile of concrete and twisted metal as rescue crews continued to search for others trapped in the debris.
“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela. Every life saved is a victory.”
The White House also amplified the footage, calling it “America at its best” and thanking the teams providing assistance in Venezuela.
Race against time after catastrophic quakes
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday, leveling buildings, triggering landslides, and leaving thousands homeless. As of Saturday evening, officials reported the death toll had reached 1,430, with 243 people rescued and more than 68,000 still missing, according to The Associated Press.
Aid groups typically consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can sometimes extend that period. Saturday’s infant rescue, occurring well past that window, was described by officials as a rare glimmer of hope amid the devastation.
“This heroic rescue was carried out by the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team, which deployed to Venezuela on June 26 following activation by the State Department,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
U.S. mobilizes major rescue resources
The United States has dispatched three Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California, and Florida, totaling 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers, and canine search specialists. The teams brought more than 200,000 pounds of specialized equipment, including concrete-breaking tools and listening devices designed to detect survivors beneath rubble.
The Los Angeles County team alone deployed 73 members equipped with advanced search technology. On Saturday, 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel arrived in Venezuela to bolster the effort, according to Venezuelan officials.
The U.S. government has also pledged $150 million in emergency assistance for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.
Trump: ‘Devastating number of deaths’
Former President Donald Trump, in a statement issued earlier, described the earthquakes as having left a “devastating number of deaths” and called for the U.S. to expedite aid. The rescue comes as emergency crews continue to fan out across La Guaira state, the hardest-hit area, and parts of Caracas, where volunteers and families have been digging through rubble by hand.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for further details on the rescue operation.
Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.