27/06/2026 15:26 - Internacionales
In the wake of the dual earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, a miraculous story of survival emerged. Juan David, a newborn of just 18 days, and his mother Dayana Patiño were rescued alive after being trapped for 32 hours under the rubble of a collapsed building in Playa Grande, La Guaira state.
For context, La Guaira is a coastal state in northern Venezuela, located just 30 kilometers from Caracas, the nation's capital. This area was among the hardest hit by the seismic activity, suffering extensive infrastructure damage that has complicated rescue efforts.
The baby was extracted first, covered in dust but alive. Approximately one hour later, rescuers reached his mother, who had shielded her child with her body throughout the ordeal—nearly two days without water or food.
Content creator Merly Quintero, who was assisting with rescue operations in Playa Grande, shared the emotional moment when rescuers finally located the survivors. A friend had asked her for help finding his missing sister—the search ended triumphantly when teams heard Dayana's screams from beneath the collapsed structure.
"Among those of us there, we started hearing the mother screaming," Quintero recounted about the instant they knew there were survivors. Dayana's husband, along with volunteers and professional rescuers, worked relentlessly until they were found.
Locals quickly began calling it "the miracle of La Guaira," naming the state most devastated by the seismic events that brought down the residential building where the family lived.
For readers unfamiliar with earthquake scales: a magnitude 7.0 earthquake releases approximately 32 times more energy than a magnitude 6.0 quake. The two tremors that hit Venezuela—measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale—are classified as major earthquakes capable of causing serious damage to structures, especially in regions with older buildings or less stringent construction codes.
Venezuela, located along the Caribbean tectonic plate boundary, experiences seismic activity, though earthquakes of this magnitude are relatively rare for the region, making this event particularly devastating.
According to Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, the official figures from the June 24 disaster are heart-wrenching:
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Deaths | At least 920 |
| Injured | 3,360 |
| Trapped in rubble | 172 |
| Displaced victims | 4,000 |
| Homeless | 383 homes damaged |
| Seismic events recorded | 302 aftershocks |
Venezuelan authorities issued an urgent public message: "Please do not go down to La Guaira," Jorge Rodríguez stated during a televised address. The concern is that spontaneous volunteers are blocking vital access routes needed by emergency services.
"The best support is not to congest the roads so that health teams can transport patients and rescue teams can do their job more effectively," he explained.
Despite the massive destruction, the international community has mobilized rapidly. More than 1,600 rescuers from at least 17 countries have arrived to assist with ongoing rescue operations, bringing specialized equipment and expertise to the affected areas.
How to help: For those wishing to contribute, authorities recommend contacting established humanitarian organizations rather than traveling directly to affected areas, to avoid interfering with professional rescue operations.
Sources: BBC Mundo | LM Neuquén
Alfredo S. Quiroga
