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Caracas.- A group of 100 rescuers has been working for more than 48 hours to extract Hernán Gil, a Venezuelan who has been under the rubble of a building for almost a week in the town of Catia La Mar, in the coastal state of La Guaira in Venezuela, following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.
n” “n“The problem -to get him out- is for his own safety, Hernán is in the basement, there is a heavy load of materials, it is a very sensitive operation for that reason,” one of the 64 Portuguese rescuers who are part of this complicated operation told EFE.
n” “nRead more: Venezuela continues rescues 7 days after the earthquake, without updating the number of missing persons
n” “nGil is being hydrated and the rescue team is in constant communication with him, also providing him with medication.
n” “n“We are very close but we need maximum security, we are working slowly. We have to get closer so that it is safe to get him out without compromising him or us,” explained the rescuer.
The group, which also includes Chileans and Americans, is not sure how much longer the operation might take because the closer they get to him, the greater the risk and the larger the team required, according to their accounts.
n” “n“It’s hard to know how long, we are working with a sonic scanner now,” he said.
According to Venezuelan Red Cross volunteers, Gil was able to save his life thanks to the guard booth that served as his protective shield.
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His wife Gusbimar González has been in front of the collapsed building since last Thursday, hours after the earthquakes.
n” “n“What they do tell me is that access to him is a bit difficult and that they are trying to clear the rubble with manual tools because they cannot bring in machinery since the building is very damaged,” the wife told EFE on Monday.
n” “nFollowing the earthquakes a week ago, 3,660 foreign rescuers, 148 dogs, 49 support vehicles, and support from 51 international delegations have arrived in Venezuela, according to the Government.
n” “nIn its latest report, the Executive indicated that some 6,461 people have been rescued and at least 1,943 have died, while 10,571 were injured.
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