Rescuers dig out Venezuelan man eight days after quakes as toll nears 2,300

Hundreds of rescuers in Venezuela cheered and embraced Thursday after pulling a 43-year-old man alive from the ruins of a collapsed building, eight days after deadly twin earthquakes struck the country, AFP journalists witnessed. The official death toll is nearing 2,300, with huge numbers of people still missing.

How was the Venezuela earthquake survivor rescued?

Security guard Hernan Gil was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed seven-story building in Catia La Mar, a coastal area nearly razed by the June 24 quakes. Rescue teams from Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico worked around the clock for three days to reach him. The operation required careful work to avoid triggering further collapse of nearby damaged structures.

What did rescuers say about the operation?

Cristian Vera, leader of the Chilean rescue team, told AFP it was not easy to reach the exact spot where Gil was trapped. Gil's wife, Gusbimar Gonzalez, called the rescue a miracle before he was freed. She said she had never seen so many countries unite to save one person.

How many people have died in the Venezuela earthquakes?

Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Wednesday the death toll had risen to 2,295, with more than 11,000 people injured. Almost 13,000 people have been left homeless, and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez declared seven days of mourning, saying the country's soul had been torn apart by the losses.

Are more survivors likely to be found?

Hope has faded of finding many more people alive, though a few remarkable rescues have occurred, including a three-year-old boy found Tuesday six days after the quakes. Most collapsed buildings in the hard-hit city of La Guaira have been marked with the letter "D" for deceased, showing they were searched with no signs of life. Spanish rescue coordinator Javier Rodes said his team's sniffer dog, Nala, searched in vain through the rubble for traces of life.

What is the situation for earthquake survivors now?

Survivors are facing growing shortages of food, water and shelter as aid queues lengthen daily. Fatima Berroteran, 56, has been sleeping with her family in a parking lot since their home in a La Guaira high-rise collapsed. The World Food Program appealed Tuesday for $50 million to feed roughly 500,000 people in Venezuela for three months.

What other risks does Venezuela face after the quakes?

Health officials are warning of a rising risk of disease outbreaks. World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said Venezuela's health services were under extreme pressure, raising the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria due to low pre-earthquake vaccination coverage. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes likely damaged or destroyed 58,870 buildings, according to a preliminary NASA satellite assessment, striking a country already weakened by economic crisis and a fragile political transition since the ouster of Nicolas Maduro six months ago.