A 23-year-old woman named Andrea Canonico was rescued alive after being trapped for nearly 48 hours under the rubble of a collapsed building in Los Corales, La Guaira, following two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week. The quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, have killed around 2,000 people so far, with fears that the toll could rise further. Andrea said she never lost hope despite being buried about six meters deep and used her mobile phone for light and timekeeping.

Rescue worker Moises Faramaya, a 26-year-old former miner known as “The Mole,” has been tirelessly searching for survivors in the same area, using only a pickaxe and shovel. He has so far rescued 16 people alive and recovered 22 bodies. Authorities have declared the area a disaster zone. Heavy rain on Tuesday temporarily halted rescue efforts, dampening morale among workers.

The critical 72-hour window for finding survivors ended Saturday evening, and by Tuesday, hopes of finding more people alive had significantly diminished.