Rescuers from six countries pulled 43-year-old security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores alive from beneath 140 tonnes of rubble on Thursday, eight days after Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes killed over 2,200 people and left tens of thousands missing.

Gil Flores had been working his night shift at a shopping complex in La Guaira state when the first of two powerful earthquakes struck on June 24. International rescue teams from Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico worked around the clock for three days after locating him more than 100 hours into the rescue effort.

'Don't Tell My Wife Unless I Survive'

In a moment that captivated the nation, Gil Flores initially told rescuers not to contact his wife in case he did not survive the extraction. The grueling operation became a symbol of hope amid the devastating aftermath of earthquakes measuring 7.5 and 7.2 magnitude that struck within hours of each other.

Footage broadcast across Venezuelan media showed rescue workers carefully extricating Gil Flores from the collapsed basement of the shopping center, where he had been trapped in his small security cabin. Medical personnel immediately loaded him into an ambulance for treatment.

Death Toll Climbs Past 2,200

The official death toll rose to 2,295 on Wednesday, according to the Venezuelan government, with more than 11,000 people injured. The figures increased by over 300 from the previous day as rescue teams continued recovering bodies from collapsed structures across the hardest-hit areas.

La Guaira state, where Gil Flores was rescued, suffered some of the worst destruction. In Caracas, the neighborhoods of Los Palos Grandes and Altamira experienced significant damage, with overwhelmed rescuers "pulling people out with their bare hands," according to witnesses.

Earlier Miracle Rescues

Gil Flores's rescue followed another miraculous save earlier in the week when rescuers freed a three-year-old boy from rubble six days after the quakes struck. Both rescues provided rare moments of celebration amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The earthquakes hit while Venezuela was celebrating a national holiday, meaning more people were at home than on a typical weekday, contributing to the high casualty count in residential buildings.

International Response and Criticism

International rescue teams have faced criticism from some Venezuelans who accuse the government of Nicolas Maduro of mounting an inadequate response. Venezuelan officials have rejected the criticism, pointing to the international cooperation and ongoing rescue efforts.

Over 50,000 people remain unaccounted for as search operations continue across the affected regions. The disaster has overwhelmed local morgues, with the port city of La Guaira struggling to process the number of victims recovered from collapsed buildings.