For nearly a day and a half, buried beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Venezuela, a mother refused to give up. Trapped with her 18-day-old son after powerful earthquakes brought down their home, Dayana Patino stayed alive for one reason alone — to make sure her newborn survived.
Their rescue after 32 hours has become one of the most powerful stories to emerge from the disaster.
The death toll in Venezuela earthquake has reach to 1,430, according to The Associated Press. Families reported at least 68,900 people missing Saturday, three days after the one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes devastated the South American nation.
Also read | Venezuela earthquake death toll nears 1,000, over 50,000 missing; residents join rescue op, foreign aid pours in
Search operations are still underway, although hopes of finding more survivors are fading.
Apartment collapsed moments after quake struck
Dayana was washing dishes inside her eighth-floor apartment in La Guaira when the earthquakes began. Her first instinct was to pick up her newborn son, believing it was “only a light tremor.”
“I felt like I was flying. After that, I felt like I was sinking in water and dirt, and then I fell into the pit where I remained. I don’t know how I didn’t let go of my baby because I was flying. I got crushed against furniture,” she told BBC.
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Buried beneath concrete and debris, she realised shouting continuously would only drain the little strength she had.
Holding on for her baby
Pinned beneath rubble, Dayana’s left leg was trapped under concrete while her head was pressed against a rock. Yet her greatest concern was her infant son.
“As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive. Every now and then I was touching his nose for proof that he was still breathing,” she told BBC.
She said a Bible beneath her gave her hope during the long hours underground. “There began my journey of survival,” she said.
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In the darkness, the only visible sign of the outside world was what she described as a “pinprick of light that looked like the moon.”
A brother’s voice brought hope
The breakthrough came when Dayana heard a familiar voice calling her name from outside the rubble.
“I said to myself, this is my only chance. From the top of my lungs I cried out… I screamed ‘Here I am’ with all my might, and he said ‘I found you, and I promise you that I won’t leave until I get you out’.”
International aid pours in
Venezuelan authorities said that 861 international volunteers from Mexico, the US, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and beyond were working in Venezuela, with many more expected to arrive in the coming days. About 1,000 emergency responders in 25 search and rescue teams from around the world are on their way, the UN said.
