A 23‑year‑old aunt, Andreína Sarmiento, stands at a hospital in Caracas holding the rescued two‑year‑old boy Kleiber Moran, whose life was saved after six days under the rubble of his home in La Guaira, northern Venezuela.
After the twin earthquakes that shook the country on Wednesday, rescue teams from the UK and Jordan were called in to dig through collapsed buildings. Kleiber was pulled from the coffin‑like wreckage early on Tuesday.
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, hailed the rescue as “a source of hope for our people” as death tolls climb.
Andreína told the BBC she will look after Kleiber with “mother’s warmth” until his mother Ana Luz and father Carlos, who are still missing, return.
She said she was in tears when her sister called to announce the rescue, then hurried to place Kleiber beside her.
Despite the boy’s injuries being mild—just scratches—Kleiber has begun to show signs of comfort, even kissing his aunt and speaking.
Andreína remains hopeful the missing parents will be found, noting that her sister was always by the child’s side during his life before the disaster.
The ongoing national crisis sees 2,295 deaths officially recorded, with many more suspected, and tens of thousands still missing.
