Q COSTA RICA — The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, expressed her deep and heartfelt gratitude to the national and international rescue teams, with special emphasis on the Costa Rican Red Cross delegation, following the successful rescue of Hernán Gil.
The Venezuelan, who worked as a security guard, was found alive after being buried for eight days under the rubble caused by the twin earthquakes measuring magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 that struck just 39 seconds apart, on June 25, 2026, triggering widespread structural collapses.
In a video released on her official platforms and social media after personally visiting Gil at a private medical center, Rodríguez described the rescue on July 2, 2026, as a true “miracle” of cooperation, tenacity, and human solidarity in the midst of tragedy.
During her meeting with the survivor and his family, the acting president highlighted the seamless coordination between local institutions and allied countries that responded to the emergency call to clear a path through the destruction in the Playa Grande area.
“I want to thank the Costa Rican Red Cross, which coordinated with the Venezuelan Red Cross so that, miraculously, on July 2, 2026, we were able to rescue Hernán Gil, a noble Venezuelan, alive,” Rodríguez stated, visibly moved.
Likewise, Rodríguez extended his gratitude to all the other international rescue teams from the United States, Portugal, and El Salvador, whose men and women worked tirelessly on the ground. She also praised the uninterrupted and patriotic effort of the local forces.
A complex race against time under tons of rubble
The location and subsequent extraction of Hernán Gil began thanks to the persistence of a worker in the Galerías de Playa Grande area, who firmly claimed to have heard noises and signs of life in the collapsed area.
Although other rescue groups initially didn’t believe him due to the magnitude of the disaster, the Costa Rican Red Cross trusted his testimony and went to the site. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Red Cross stationed an ambulance and medical personnel at the location for four tense and hopeful days.
Gil was trapped in the third basement level of the security booth where he was on duty at the time of the earthquake. In an exclusive interview with Noticias Telemundo, Wagner Leiva, head of the Costa Rican Red Cross mission, described the enormous technical difficulty of the rescue operation.
“The process described as locating him required technical and technological equipment to pinpoint and triangulate Don Hernán’s location. The Costa Rican Red Cross began search and rescue operations by cutting through and penetrating structures, but as we ventured deeper into the rubble, we realized that thousands of tons of debris were located in this area,” Leiva told international television.
The danger for the rescuers and for the security guard himself was extreme. An adjacent building at the rear was severely tilted and threatened to collapse, registering constant movements that dangerously increased the pressure on the underground structure where Gil lay.
Despite extreme exhaustion after grueling days, Leiva emphasized his delegation’s unwavering commitment to continuing their work in other affected areas, such as the Sol Marina Garden complex, motivated solely by the suffering of the affected families.
“If I am tired and thirsty, how do you think the Venezuelan people are suffering? As long as there is life and hope, we will continue searching,” declared the head of the Costa Rican mission, closing a chapter that restores faith to an entire nation.