12-Year-Old Survives 32 Hours Trapped in Quake Rubble

A 12-year-old girl, trapped for 32 hours in earthquake rubble in Venezuela, is rescued after a dramatic and harrowing ordeal.

Karina Blanco was just about to embark on her spinning class when the ground began to tremble. As the shaking intensified, she quickly grabbed her bag and joined the rush of people fleeing outside.

In a frantic attempt to reach her daughter, Fabiana, 12, who was at home during the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, Karina drove at breakneck speed to their apartment building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state. The second of the two quakes recorded a magnitude of 7.5, marking it as one of the strongest tremors to hit the region in a century.

Upon arriving, Karina’s heart sank. Before her lay destruction: “I could see one building, then a gap where my building stood, and then another building,” Karina recalled.

Inside the now-collapsed structure, Fabiana had been in the kitchen holding onto the counter when the walls began to crumble around her. Her instinct was to run, but the walls failed her, trapping her beneath the wreckage. “I thought, ‘I’m going to die. I won’t survive this. No-one is going to rescue me,'” Fabiana recounted.

What ensued was a grueling 32-hour ordeal for the young girl. Outside, Karina could see remnants of her daughter’s belongings peeking through the debris. Desperation set in as she shouted, “She’s dead. My daughter is dead.”

In the eerie silence beneath the rubble, Fabiana found herself amidst a strange calm, battling claustrophobia despite the dire situation. When a neighbor’s nurse shouted for anyone trapped, Fabiana responded. “She told me to stay calm and that everything would be alright,” Fabiana said.

As hope started to flicker, a rescue effort began, but progress was slow. After six hours, the nurse was pulled from the debris and informed the volunteers that a girl named Fabiana was still alive inside the ruins. This news sent Karina into a frenzy of hope and helplessness. “I had surrendered to God asking for strength to begin a new life without Fabiana,” she expressed.

While trapped, Fabiana discovered a bottle of ketchup and some grated cheese, sustenance that helped keep her conscious through the harrowing experience. She also found her phone and recorded a video message pleading for help: “I am alone. Many neighbours are trapped in the rubble. We need your help,” she stated.

Volunteers, including a man named Viktor, began climbing the debris, searching for any signs of Fabiana. Their perseverance soon paid off when she heard his voice. “I turned to everyone and screamed, ‘My daughter is alive,'” an elated Karina recalled.

Rescue workers were called from Caracas, only to face challenges as night fell. Karina desperately sought resources to assist the rescue effort, urging people to help. Eventually, the team found a way to keep chiseling through the rubble, and Fabiana’s smiling face soon appeared through an opening, a moment that quickly spread across social media in Venezuela.

Finally, at around 2:00 AM local time, rescuers managed to pull her out. Fabiana emerged with only a fractured foot and minor scrapes, embracing her mother amidst the destruction of their home. “It felt like I was in a TV series,” she said, still processing the surreal nature of her rescue.

As the days passed, the aftermath of the earthquakes revealed a devastating toll. Over 3,342 fatalities have been confirmed, with tens of thousands still missing. Karina reflected on the loss of almost everyone in their building, expressing a deep sorrow for her neighbors. However, having her daughter alive instilled a sense of hope as they begin to chart a path forward together.