'As Long as He Was Alive, I Had to Live': Mother Rescued With Newborn Recounts Venezuela Earthquake Ordeal

A Venezuelan mother rescued from the rubble of her collapsed apartment building alongside her 18-day-old son has described how the newborn became her reason to keep fighting for survival after the devastating earthquakes that struck the country last week.

Speaking to the BBC from a hospital in Caracas, Dayana Patiño said her son, Juan David, gave her the determination to stay conscious during the terrifying hours they remained trapped beneath the debris.

"As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive," she said.

"Every now and then I was touching his nose for proof that he was still breathing."

Their dramatic rescue has captured global attention, with images of Juan David emerging as a symbol of hope in the aftermath of the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 1,450 people and leaving tens of thousands still unaccounted for.

Patiño said she had been washing dishes inside her eighth-floor apartment in La Guaira, a northern coastal city, when the powerful earthquakes struck.

Her first instinct was to protect her newborn son.

"I grabbed him because I thought it was only a light tremor," she recalled.

Within moments, the building gave way.

"I felt like I was flying. Then I felt like I was sinking into water and dirt before I landed in the hole where I remained trapped. I don't know how I never let go of my baby because I was thrown through the air and crushed against furniture."

Pinned beneath broken concrete with one leg trapped and unable to move, she quickly realised that shouting continuously would only drain her strength.

"I told myself I wouldn't waste my energy. I would only scream when I heard voices or footsteps nearby."

Despite the darkness and pain, Patiño said she found comfort after discovering a Bible beneath the debris.

"There began my journey of survival," she said.

She also noticed what she described as a tiny opening that allowed a faint beam of light to reach where she lay trapped.

The breakthrough came when she heard her brother calling her name from outside the collapsed building.

Realising it might be her only opportunity, she summoned all the strength she had left.

"I screamed, 'Here I am,' with everything I had."

Her brother responded immediately.

"He told me, 'I found you, and I promise I won't leave until I get you out.'"

Rescue workers then carried out a painstaking operation that eventually freed both mother and child on Thursday night.

Patiño suffered injuries to both legs during the collapse, while Juan David escaped with only minor injuries.

Her husband, Gerson, had just parked outside the apartment building when the earthquakes struck. He managed to escape to safety by jumping over a nearby fence.

When he saw the building reduced to rubble, he feared his wife and newborn son had not survived.

"When I saw my son, I felt like I had been born again," he said. "I couldn't believe it."

The rescue of Dayana Patiño and her son has become one of the few stories of survival to emerge from the disaster, offering hope to families anxiously waiting for news of missing relatives.

Emergency crews continue search-and-rescue operations across the affected areas, although hopes of finding more survivors are fading with each passing day.

The twin earthquakes have left widespread destruction across Venezuela, with authorities reporting at least 1,450 deaths and thousands of people still missing as humanitarian efforts intensify.

BBC