A three-year-old boy has been rescued alive from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Venezuela, six days after powerful earthquakes struck the country, offering a rare moment of hope as rescue teams continue searching for survivors.
The child, identified as Klieber Morán, was pulled from debris in La Guaira state by a Jordanian rescue team. Video footage showed rescuers celebrating after successfully reaching and removing the toddler from the wreckage.
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez described the rescue as a moment of hope for a nation still grappling with the aftermath of the disaster.
The Jordanian civil defence said Klieber received first aid at the scene before being taken to hospital. According to Venezuelan Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the boy was admitted to a medical facility in the capital, Caracas, and his vital signs were reported to be stable.
His rescue came well beyond the first 72 hours after a disaster, a period that experts say offers the highest chance of finding trapped survivors alive.
The development comes as the United Nations warned that tens of thousands of people urgently require food, shelter and other assistance following last week's earthquakes, which measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude.
Authorities say the death toll has climbed to 1,943, while more than 10,000 people have been injured. Tens of thousands of people also remain unaccounted for.
An initial assessment using NASA satellite data estimated that about 58,870 buildings were either damaged or destroyed by the earthquakes.
La Guaira remains among the areas worst affected by the disaster, with many residents carrying out rescue efforts on their own as they wait for more support.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said food shortages had become widespread in the area. It added that essential services had broken down and communication networks had largely been cut off.
"Community tensions are rising as access to assistance remains constrained," the UNHCR said in a statement.
Residents have also described growing desperation as people compete for limited supplies.
Daniela Armas, an 18-year-old vendor in La Guaira who was injured after falling from a motorbike when the earthquakes struck, told AFP that aid was arriving but not reaching everyone smoothly.
"but sometimes people nearly kill each other for food... it's like a cockfight."
The UNHCR said it requires an initial $15 million to expand assistance efforts, including protection services, relief supplies and temporary shelter support for 30,000 people affected by the earthquakes over the next six months.
The World Health Organization also warned that health facilities were facing severe strain.
"There's an increased risk now of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases" such as measles and diphtheria due to low vaccination coverage, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.
Despite the rising death toll, Jorge Rodríguez said the rescue of Klieber demonstrated that there was still reason to continue searching for survivors. He said local and international teams remained on the ground combing through collapsed structures while shelters had already been opened in La Guaira and other affected states.
Rescue teams from the United States, Mexico and many other countries have joined operations, using trained dogs and heavy equipment to search for those still trapped.
International aid has also begun arriving. A UN spokesperson said a 47-tonne shipment of humanitarian supplies reached Venezuela on Tuesday. The cargo included emergency medical kits, supplies for safe deliveries, newborn care materials and equipment aimed at preventing disease outbreaks.
As search operations continue, families across the country have started burying relatives whose bodies have been recovered. Many others are still waiting for news of loved ones believed to have died in the disaster.
At a temporary morgue set up at La Guaira's port, Wilker Molalla said he was waiting to identify the remains of several family members.
"There were 11 people in my household," he said. "Only two of us survived because we were at work."