Venezuelan Man Was Rescued From the Rubble After Being Trapped for Days

Young man rescued alive in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 29, 2026. X/ @ReporteYa

June 29, 2026 Hour: 9:44 am

Search Efforts Continue in La Guaira as Aftershocks Persist Following the June 24 Earthquakes

Early Monday morning, after an intense operation that lasted for hours, search and rescue teams successfully pulled 21-year-old Venezuelan Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas alive from the rubble. 

Venezuelan Acting President Rodriguez Inspects Rescue Operations in La Guaira

He had been trapped beneath the debris of the OPP 25 building in the Tanaguarena sector, Caraballeda parish, in La Guaira state since June 24.

“The rescue was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of emergency teams from Venezuela, Mexico and El Salvador, who joined forces and did not stop until they reached the young man,” ReporteYa reported.

Earlier, on Sunday, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez called for search and rescue operations to continue and announced plans to assist people who lost their homes because of the numerous building collapses. So far, 33 people have been rescued alive.

The work of Venezuelan and international rescue teams continued primarily among the ruins of buildings in the coastal state of La Guaira, the epicenter of the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes on June 24, where logistics centers for the international teams have been established.

The text reads, “Teams from El Salvador, Mexico and Venezuela successfully rescued 21-year-old Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas alive from the OPP 25 building in the Tanaguarena sector, Caraballeda parish, Vargas.”

Population Remains Alert for Aftershocks

On Monday, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck an area in northern Venezuela, the same region devastated by last Wednesday’s twin earthquakes that have already killed at least 1,450 people and injured 3,150 others, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). GeographicReference

The tremor, which forced many people to leave their homes once again, struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with its epicenter located 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) north of the town of Caraballeda in La Guaira.

In recent days, scientists have recorded more than 400 aftershocks, prompting preventive measures to remain in effect, including avoiding the use of elevators and suspending natural gas service in some areas, particularly Caracas, the country’s capital.

On Sunday, other countries updated the number of their citizens who died in the disaster, including 17 Spaniards, seven Portuguese, 46 people of Portuguese descent and three Chileans. Among those still missing are 150 Spaniards and 83 Portuguese citizens and people of Portuguese descent.