3-Year-Old Dramatically Rescued After 6 Days; Death Toll Exceeds 1,900

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Rescue operations are struggling to gain momentum in Venezuela, where earthquake damage is severe. The death toll has risen to 1,943.

Reporter Han Sung-hee has the story.

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On June 30, local time, rescue teams in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas continued their search for the missing under floodlights throughout the night.

A child discovered in the rubble of a building collapsed by the earthquake wiggles his tiny hand.

The 3-year-old boy was narrowly rescued six days after the earthquake struck on June 24.

In La Guaira, where the damage is concentrated, a person is spotted amidst the debris.

The 12-year-old child, who was rescued, is carried away on a stretcher, still breathing.

Although some 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries and local residents are struggling to save survivors, the number of deaths increased by 224 in a single day, reaching 1,943 so far.

[Jorge Rodriguez/President of the National Assembly of Venezuela: As of today, 1,943 people have been reported dead. We must continue the search to find survivors.]

The number of injured stands at 10,571, doubling from the previous day.

The port of La Guaira has turned into a temporary morgue, crowded with people trying to identify their family members.

[Elena Llano/Venezuelan Earthquake Victim: I don't know if (my daughter) is alive or dead, if she has eaten, or if she has fainted. I don't know anything, and it is so painful. I am crying every day.]

In a stark contrast to the World Cup fever elsewhere, emergency shelters have been set up on soccer fields, and a relentless struggle to save even one more life continues in hospitals.

With a Venezuelan non-governmental organization unofficially estimating the number of missing people to be in the 42,000 range, the number of victims is expected to continue rising.

As the golden time for rescue operations gradually passes, the UN has prepared 10,000 body bags in preparation for the worst-case scenario.

The UNHCR and the World Food Programme reported that relief supplies such as food and water are urgently needed, and that the situation on the ground is dire as basic services have been suspended.

(Video Editing: Jo Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.