LA firefighters help rescue Venezuela earthquake victim who was buried for 8 days

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Dozens of emergency workers gathered outside the collapsed mall, eager to find respite from the days of devastation and carnage they had seen in earthquake-ravaged Venezuela.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrived: Firefighters pulled out a gurney carrying Hernán Alberto Gil Flores – a security guard who survived for more than a week trapped under a mountain of rubble.

There was a standing ovation – to tears – in the parking lot where Gil had been buried since two typhoons struck within seconds of each other on June 24.

And among those in attendance were members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“We are proud to be a part of this,” said Captain Adam Bradley after Thursday's events. “It's great to think that the donations we and others have made will help this man return to his family and, hopefully, live a good life.”

The narrative of survival against all odds surprised even the first responders.

“There are not many successful cases of people being rescued alive after seven days trapped in a building,” Mario Armenteras, a Chilean emergency worker, told the media. “It's really history for us. And it's a salvation that will be remembered for a long time by all the teams here working together from all countries around the world.”

The cinematic denouement has renewed some hope in the shaken nation, where the death toll announced on Saturday rose to 2,954 dead and 16,592 injured, with thousands remaining missing.

“I never gave up hope,” said Franyimar González, 32, Gil's wife, who has been holding a daily vigil outside the parking lot's entrance. “I thank God that my husband survived this great tragedy.”

Rescue workers from several countries waited as their colleagues pulled Gil out.

The operation was a testament to the growing effectiveness of the international collective of urban search and rescue teams – known as USAR – who have become ubiquitous life-savers at disaster scenes around the world.

A dozen other nations have sent about 3,000 emergency personnel to Venezuela. Among their polyglot ranks are search and rescue specialists, doctors, canine teams and civil engineers.

Many have worked and trained together for years, forming bonds that transcend cultures and languages. The relationship is evident down here in La Guaira, a coastal town where the damage from the earthquake was so severe, many buildings collapsed.

“We know these guys on a first name basis,” said Trey Espy, LA County assistant fire marshal, of Chilean, Mexico and other responders at the scene. So it's very easy to put together and make things happen.

Espy and Bradley were part of the 70-member LA County emergency response unit deployed to Venezuela. Some have previous experience in earthquake relief in Turkey, Haiti and Nepal, among other sites around the world.

Los Angeles County firefighters arrive at their headquarters in Venezuela after a successful rescue.

About 100 emergency workers from half a dozen countries — including a team from LA County — worked for days to reach Gil, who worked as a security guard in an underground parking structure.

Gil was trapped under more than 100 tons of debris after the collapse of the Galerias Playa Grande shopping center, which consists of nine and four buildings.

The rescue, which involved complex planning, was done largely without the use of heavy machinery. Vibrations from the earthmoving machinery could have caused further collapse, which would have killed Gil – and his would-be rescuers.

Once inside, workers had to clear debris from multiple floors; apart from pieces of concrete, stones and floor stones, the obstacles included a bathroom sink and a toilet that had fallen down from above.

“A lot of time it comes down to using shovels and buckets and hands, things like that,” Espy said.

Fortunately, the small kiosk in which Gil was trapped acted as a buffer of sorts, providing a measure of protection from the pile-up of debris from above. He managed to survive in a sheltered area, a life-saving situation that occurs from time to time as multi-story buildings collapse in the form of cupcakes, support girders and concrete slabs.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Assistant Trey Espy, at the Catia La Mar Command Center, was part of the 70-plus member county rescue team sent to Venezuela.

“The hope is that as the trash falls, it may be buried but not injured,” said Espy. “You can't get out, but you're alive.”

It was on June 28 that Costa Rican rescuers first saw signs of life in the ruins of the mall, according to various reports.

The next day, a team from Chile, using radar and sonar, confirmed the presence of Gil, still alive, in the basement.

The Chileans drilled holes that allowed workers to install a camera and pinpoint his location. The rescuers were able to talk to Gil and recorded him, checking that, while he was injured, he was not seriously injured.

Rescuers were able to insert tubes to provide water, hydration fluids, protein shakes and medicine to Gil. Lights were also installed.

Chiles called in the LA County squad to help develop a strategy for the best way to get the survivor out, Espy said.

International mission first responders carried Gil from the rubble of the parking structure. LA County firefighters are scheduled to leave for Venezuela on Monday.

Emergency personnel working around the clock thought of various ways to get in and out of the nearest accessible area, about 75 meters from where Gil was trapped. Rescuers had to first descend the ramp of the debris-filled parking lot and walk up the stairs, always aware of the risk of a new collapse of the moving structure.

It was a race against time. Workers dug out the tunnels, reinforcing the walls as they progressed.

“We mixed up our teams, and everybody just attacked it,” Espy said.

The rescuers guided Gil out of his would-be grave, put him in a moving place and outside and entered among the spectators waiting under the tropical sun, already burning before 10:00. Press workers, Venezuelan officials and nearby citizens were attracted by the amazing event that gives a spark of hope in the middle of the table of a different country.

As he was wheeled to a waiting ambulance, Gil was wearing an oxygen mask and a neck brace, and his face showed bruises. But officials say he appeared to be in critical condition, awaiting medical tests.

Emotions ran high among the international organization of emergency workers who witnessed the impossible rescue of one man. Many embraced.

“It feels good for the country after the amount of damage they got,” said Bradley, the LA County fire captain. “We are happy that the people of Venezuela were able to see one of them return home from under the rubble.”

Special reporter Mogollón reported from La Guaira and Times sthe taff wRiter McDonnell of Mexico City. Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed from Mexico City.