In a harrowing tale of survival, a British mother has been pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Caracas and has spoken exclusively to the BBC about the moment her newborn daughter was found alive, cradled in her arms. The rescue, which took place on Thursday evening, has been hailed as a miracle by emergency services working round the clock in the wake of a devastating earthquake that struck the Venezuelan capital on Tuesday.
Sarah Jenkins, 34, a former nurse from Manchester who had been living in Venezuela for three years with her husband, Carlos, described the ordeal as ‘the longest two days of my life’. She was trapped beneath concrete and steel after a seven-storey apartment block collapsed in the working-class neighbourhood of Petare. Her daughter, Lucia, born just four weeks ago, was shielded by her mother’s body as debris rained down.
‘I remember the shaking and then the ceiling came in. I curled around Lucia, praying. I could hear screams, then silence. I thought we were dead,’ Jenkins said from a hospital bed in Caracas, her voice hoarse. ‘When they pulled me out, I saw her eyes open. She was crying, but she was alive. I broke down.’
Rescue workers used thermal imaging to locate the pair, who were trapped under a collapsed staircase. The rescue took 14 hours, with crews working in shifts to remove debris by hand. Firefighter Miguel Rojas said: ‘We heard a baby crying. It was faint, but it gave us hope. When we saw the mother holding the child, we knew we had to be quick. They were surrounded by gas pipes and unstable concrete.’
The British Foreign Office confirmed it was providing consular assistance. Jenkins’ husband, Carlos, a local teacher, was at work when the quake hit and rushed to the site. He described the moment he saw his wife and daughter being lifted out. ‘I thought I had lost everything. When I saw them, I fell to my knees. This is the greatest gift.’
The 5.8 magnitude earthquake has left at least 150 dead and thousands homeless, with many still missing. The British Embassy in Caracas has set up a helpline for worried relatives. Jenkins, who plans to return to the UK once she is medically fit, said: ‘I want to go home. But I’ll never forget the kindness of the Venezuelan people who saved us.’
The story has resonated deeply in Britain, where the cost of living crisis and strained public services have dominated headlines. For many, Jenkins’ survival is a reminder of the fragility of life. Her mother, Margaret, 67, from Salford, told the BBC: ‘I’ve been praying non-stop. I can’t wait to hold my granddaughter.’
Jenkins’ tale is one of a mother’s instinct and the resilience of the human spirit. It also highlights the stark contrast between the relative safety of the UK and the dangers faced by those living in disaster-prone regions with limited infrastructure. As one rescue worker put it: ‘In the rubble, you see the best and worst of humanity. Today, we saw the best.’
