A two-year-old child was pulled alive from rubble in the Venezuelan city of Cumaná on Thursday, six days after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake devastated the coastal region. British Urban Search and Rescue (UKUSAR) teams, deploying under a bilateral assistance agreement, located the boy in the remains of a collapsed apartment block after specialised listening devices detected faint sounds.
The rescue, which lasted four hours, has been hailed as a rare moment of hope in a crisis that has claimed at least 280 lives, according to the Venezuelan interior ministry. The UKUSAR contingent, comprising 62 personnel and four dogs, arrived in Cumaná on Tuesday following a formal request from President Nicolás Maduro’s government. A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed that the team is equipped with cutting-edge seismic listening technology and concrete-cutting tools.
“This operation underscores the importance of international readiness and the rigorous training of UK teams,” said Dr. Mark Ashton, a professor of disaster management at King’s College London. “The window for survival typically closes after 72 hours, but structural voids and trapped air pockets can occasionally extend it.
” The quake, which struck at 4:13 p.m. local time on Friday, levelled hundreds of buildings in Sucre state and triggered landslides that cut off remote communities.
The child, identified only as Miguel, was found dehydrated but conscious. He was transferred to a field hospital run by Cuban medical personnel. British teams are working alongside units from China, Russia, and Mexico.
The coordination, while logistically complex, has been described as “professional” by UKUSAR commander Samira Patel, who noted the shared goal of maximising extrications. The deployment marks the first time British rescue teams have operated in Venezuela since the country’s political crisis deepened in 2019. The UK government, which has followed a policy of non-recognition of Maduro’s administration since disputed elections, framed the mission as purely humanitarian.
“We separate politics from saving lives,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson. The rescue has drawn cautious optimism in a country where the oil-dependent economy is in hyperinflation and public services are depleted. In Cumaná, residents lined the streets clapping as the child was carried to an ambulance.
But the scale of the disaster remains overwhelming. Officials say 1,200 people are still missing, and 15,000 have been made homeless. The search continues.
