Dayana Patino, speaking on 29/6, described the terrifying moments when the earthquake hit on 24/6. "I felt like I was flying, then sinking into water and rubble, before falling into a void and getting trapped," she recalled. Patino was in her 8th-floor apartment in a residential complex in La Guaira state, northern Venezuela, with her newborn son, Juan David.
The powerful tremors caused the entire apartment building to collapse. "I don't know how I managed not to let go of my child, even though I was being thrown around and pressed tightly against furniture," Patino recounted.
Her legs were pinned under concrete blocks, and her temple was pressed against a rock, immobilizing her completely. Her son lay beside her. Despite the pain and panic, she resolved to stay conscious for Juan David. His cries became her lifeline, preventing her from giving up.
"As long as my child was alive, I would live too," Patino stated. "Occasionally, I would touch his nose to ensure he was still breathing."
Patino conserved her strength, calling for help only when she heard someone close. After hours trapped under the debris, with just a narrow crack letting in moonlight, she finally heard her younger brother calling her name.
"I screamed with all my might, 'I'm here!'" she recalled. Her brother responded, "I've found you; I promise I won't leave until I get you out."
Rescue teams arrived at the scene, extracting the mother and son from the rubble after 32 hours. Her husband, Gerson, wept as a rescue worker handed him his son, wrapped in a pink blanket.
"I thought my wife and son were dead," Gerson said. "When I saw my son, I felt reborn." He called the rescue a "miracle."
Both mother and son were transferred to a hospital in the capital, Caracas. Patino is recovering from injuries to both legs. Miraculously, baby Juan sustained only minor injuries.
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Dayana Patino and her son at a hospital in the capital, Caracas, on 29/6. Photo: BBC |
Gerson, who was outside the apartment complex when it collapsed, confirmed the family lost everything in the earthquake.
The disaster in Venezuela has claimed over 1,700 lives and injured approximately 5,000 people. Satellite images indicate that nearly 60,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
The number of victims is expected to rise in the coming days. Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Venezuela, announced that they are preparing 10,000 body bags.
By Huyen Le (According to BBC, ABC News, Guardian)
