‘Every life is hope’: Two boys, both 11, rescued from rubble as Venezuela toll passes 1,450

On June 24, Venezuela was hit by two large earthquakes 30 seconds apart, one with a magnitude of 7.2 foreshock followed by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock, destroying homes and buildings. ABC reports experts as saying that because the tremors hit in such quick succession, many residents had no time to flee, and the shallow depth of the quakes intensified the damage at the surface.

According to CNN, the death toll has climbed past 1,450, and thousands of others are wounded and missing. Now, it’s being reported that two 11-year-old boys have been rescued separately within hours of each other over the weekend.

Video released by Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (via BBC News) showed the first boy, named as Moises, being lifted from the wreckage on Saturday to applause from rescuers.

The agency said he had been buried under roughly three meters of debris in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit areas, and that crews spent about six hours on “high-precision work” to reach him. The boy was found near his mother and sister, who both tragically died in the collapse.

Hours later, interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced that a second 11-year-old boy had been pulled from the rubble in the coastal town of Caraballeda, posting video of the rescue on X. “In these hours, every life is hope for Venezuela,” she said.

As per the BBC, a firefighter said there are still “dozens” of collapsed buildings that must be searched and pleaded for assistance: “There aren’t enough hands, and it is very, very likely that there are still people trapped.”

Rescue efforts are ongoing

Tens of thousands of people remain missing, but officials have cautioned that the figure likely includes those who simply cannot reach relatives because of downed phone networks. Researchers estimate that around 60,000 buildings have either been destroyed or damaged to some degree.

International help has surged in, with Rodríguez claiming 24 countries had sent more than 2,741 rescuers along with hundreds of tons of supplies. The United States, despite its recent history of hostilities with Venezuela, deployed two 80-person search-and-rescue teams and pledged $150 million in aid.

The disaster compounds a humanitarian crisis in a country whose economy and health system had eroded over more than a decade. Rodríguez took office in January after the U.S. removed then-President Nicolás Maduro in Operation Absolute Resolve. (via CBS News) 

Rescuers are continuing to search the rubble more than 85 hours after the quakes, despite the critical 72-hour window having passed.