A woman gave birth on the pavement beside a collapsed building in the Venezuelan coastal city of La Guairá, moments after being pulled from the rubble of the twin earthquakes that have killed 920 people and left more than 51,000 missing.
Kneeling in the dark, Dr María Fernanda Terán acted as an impromptu midwife, delivering a baby boy as the earth still trembled. ‘Bringing a baby to the world while the earth shakes in #laguairavenezuela is the greatest challenge of my life,’ she later wrote on social media. The mother, who has not been named, had gone into labour after rescue workers saved her from a fallen building and taken her to a safety zone. A male bystander supported the newborn’s upper body while another person offered the mother more clothing. Both mother and son are now doing well, according to local news outlets.
“Venezuela earthquake death toll reaches 920, with 51,000 missing; woman gives birth under rubble.”
The birth came as rescue teams from abroad began arriving in the country, joining the desperate search for survivors. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes – among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century – have injured at least 3,360 people, with the toll expected to rise. Hospitals in the worst-hit areas have been overwhelmed by a critical shortage of supplies.
In another moment of hope, an 18-day-old baby was pulled alive from the debris. Cameras captured the tiny infant, wrapped in what looked to be a pillowcase, being carefully lifted out of the ruins and handed to her father. The new dad cried in relief as onlookers applauded. The baby was taken to hospital, and rescue teams saved her mother about 90 minutes later.
Online, viewers called the birth a ‘miracle’ and praised the ‘heroic’ rescue teams. @beatroski40 wrote: ‘The miracle of life in the midst of darkness.’ @rossyrosario27 said: ‘Peace in the midst of the storm.’
King Charles and Queen Camilla issued a personal message to the people of Venezuela, saying they are ‘deeply saddened’ by what has happened. The King shared on Friday night: ‘My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the devastating earthquakes that have struck your country…’
With 51,000 still unaccounted for, the race to find survivors continues – a race punctuated by rare flickers of light in the wreckage.