U.S. Rescue Team Pulls Mother and Baby from Rubble in Earthquake-Ravaged Venezuela
A mother and her nine-month-old baby were pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela by a U.S. search and rescue team, in what officials described as a rare moment of hope amid the devastation wrought by twin earthquakes that have killed more than 1,400 people and left scores missing.
Virginia Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 shared a video of its members extracting the woman from the debris as neighbors cheered. Another video, released by the U.S. State Department, showed the infant being removed wrapped in blue fabric. The baby’s face was blurred but could be heard crying. Both suffered only minor injuries, the team confirmed.
“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department wrote on social media. “Every life saved is a victory.” The Virginia team echoed the sentiment, stating, “This is our why. The delivery of hope.”
The rescue is part of a broader U.S. deployment to Venezuela after the pair of shallow quakes struck within a minute on Wednesday, leaving little time for evacuation. A senior administration official said Saturday that nearly 250 specialized civilian rescuers, including the Virginia team, have been sent, along with aid planes, mobile hospitals, and the amphibious assault ship USS Fort Lauderdale.
The Miami-based Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2 is also on the ground conducting comprehensive ground and aerial damage assessments, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which noted that 71 members from Los Angeles are among the deployed teams. International volunteers from Mexico, El Salvador, Switzerland, and other nations are also assisting.
But the official response has drawn criticism. In the hardest-hit areas, residents say they have seen few state rescue teams, prompting desperate families to dig through rubble with their bare hands. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has said the Venezuelan government is mounting a full response, and Caracas officials reported Saturday that about 200 people had been rescued. However, online databases suggest roughly 51,000 people remain unaccounted for, a figure that includes those unable to communicate due to lost cell service and potential duplicate reports, according to the Associated Press.
Northwestern University professor emeritus Emile Okal told CBS News that the shallow depth and near-simultaneous occurrence of the two quakes caused severe surface damage, and the 48-to-72-hour window for retrieving survivors alive is critical — though it can be extended if trapped individuals have access to food and water. Diana Sandrano, searching for her missing brother, told CBS Saturday Morning she would keep looking “as long as it takes.” “He deserves to live and have a future,” she said after a day of digging.