A three-year-old child has been pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Caracas, six days after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Venezuela. The rescue, broadcast live on state television, came as UK search and rescue teams remained on standby awaiting clearance to deploy.
Sources close to the rescue operation confirm the child was found in an air pocket beneath a concrete slab in the El Paraíso district. Medical teams are treating the survivor for dehydration and minor injuries. The child's parents remain unaccounted for.
The quake, which struck on Tuesday, has left an estimated 1,200 confirmed dead and over 4,000 injured, according to official figures – numbers that aid agencies suspect are conservative. The regime of President Nicolás Maduro has declared a state of emergency but has been criticised for refusing international assistance.
Documents obtained by this outlet reveal that a UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR) team of 62 personnel, including medics and sniffer dogs, has been stood up since Wednesday. They are equipped with cutting-edge listening devices and concrete-cutting gear. A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed the team is 'ready to deploy at a moment's notice' but admitted that diplomatic clearance has not been granted.
The delay has sparked fury among British aid workers. 'Every hour counts. We have the expertise, but we're stuck in a holding pattern while bureaucrats squabble,' one source told me.
Meanwhile, Maduro has accepted offers of aid from Russia, China and Cuba – allies who have provided financial lifelines to his embattled government. US aid has been refused, with state media accusing Washington of harbouring ulterior motives.
This is not just a natural disaster. It is a political quagmire. With each passing day, the possibility of a second wave of deaths from crush injuries and infections grows. The UK team could make a difference, but it seems they are being held hostage by geopolitics.
We will continue to follow this story. Developments expected within the hour.
