A 21-year-old man has been rescued in La Guaira state by rescue teams from Venezuela, Mexico, and El Salvador, five days after the twin earthquakes struck the country, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced Monday.
Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas was found alive beneath rubble in the town of Caraballeda, but between the rescuers and Aaron lay the body of a deceased person, President Bukele posted earlier - complicating the rescue.
The 21-year-old is now receiving specialised medical attention, Bukele says, adding that the rescuers will "continue working with the hope of being able to save more lives".
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the rescue operation took 43 hours, after Aaron was trapped for 106 hours.
At least 1,450 people are known to have died following the twin earthquakes but the number is expected to rise. Hospital walls are filling up with photos of the missing, according to reports from the country.
There's usually a 96-hour window to find the most survivors - that ended on Sunday evening. Teams are now hoping for "miracle rescues," according to experts working with rescuers.
– with Agencies inputs --
