Three‑year‑old rescued as Venezuela pours into quake aftermath

Sun Sep 06 2026 06:27:30 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Jordanian workers pull a toddler alive from Caracas rubble six days after twin earthquake jolts that killed almost 2,000 people.

A Jordanian rescue team pulled three‑year‑old Klieber Morán alive from a collapsed house in La Guaira, Venezuela, six days after devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that toppled over 58,000 buildings. The find, announced by interim President Delcy Rodríguez, provides a glimmer of hope amid a humanitarian crisis in which the UN estimates more than 10,000 injured and 1,943 dead. International aid—US, Mexico, dozens of other countries—has begun delivering heavy equipment, emergency kits and medical supplies while Venezuelan authorities open shelters and morgues. The resilient local community now wrestles with food shortages, broken services and rising tensions as rescue crews, dogs and drones work to unearth survivors.

Three‑year‑old rescued as Venezuela pours into quake aftermath

In a breakthrough that can not be over‑stated, a Jordanian rescue team extracted a three‑year‑old baby, Klieber Morán, from a collapsed home in La Guaira, Venezuela. The child was pulled alive six days after the twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that hit Caracas and surrounding regions.

Jordanian rescue operators lifting a child from rubble — Jordanian rescuers lift a toddler from the wreckage created by Venezuela’s quakes.

The rescue was hailed as a “source of hope” by interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who said the fact that the child was alive offers a small light amid the widespread devastation. The quakes have killed 1,943 people and injured more than 10,000 others, according to Reuters and UN data.

A preliminary satellite assessment by NASA estimated that 58,870 buildings were damaged or destroyed, leaving many families homeless and citizens scrambling to secure food and shelter. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that basic services have shut down and that populations in La Guaira face severe shortages.

In addition to Jordanian workers, teams from the United States, Mexico and dozens of other countries are deploying trained dogs and heavy machinery in a tardy but determined search for survivors. The Venezuelan Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez confirmed that Klieber had received first‑aid and was transported to a hospital in Caracas where his vital signs were stable.

International humanitarian shipments are arriving as the crisis deepens. A 47‑tonne cargo landed recently, carrying emergency health kits, supplies for safe births and newborn care equipment. Yet Venezuelans are still grappling with the loss of loved ones, as families await identifications of their dead at makeshift morgues in La Guaira.

Meanwhile, local communities have been forced to take up arms over scarce resources, with some residents reporting that people “nearly kill each other for food” as the situation spirals. UN officials called for the rapid provision of $15 million to scale up shelter, protection and relief efforts for at least 30,000 affected residents during the next six months.

With hope rekindled by the rescue, Venezuelan officials and international partners remain committed to continuing search and rescue operations, establishing shelters, and addressing the urgent medical and nutritional needs of those left behind.