A woman gave birth under the rubble, in the dark, following the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday. Local authorities reported that 920 people died and 3,360 were injured in the disaster, with the toll expected to keep rising. Rescue teams have also been deployed and continue digging through the debris in a desperate search for those still unaccounted for. Currently, over 50,000 people are missing.
Miracle birth amid devastation
In the aftermath, footage has emerged of a woman welcoming a miracle baby boy beside a collapsed building, brought down by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude twin quakes, which were among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. Bringing hope to the people in times of fear and devastation, a lady identified as Dr María Fernanda Terán acted as an impromptu midwife, kneeling to deliver the baby while his mother lay on the pavement in the coastal city of La Guairá, which was the worst-hit area.
Terán held the woman’s crying son while a male bystander supported his upper body, with another person then stepping in to offer the new mother more clothing. It is believed that the woman (not identified) went into labour after being saved from a fallen building and taken to a safety zone. Local news outlets now say both she and her newborn are doing well.
Doctor shares emotional message
Sharing the happy news on her social media account, Terán wrote: ‘Bringing a Baby to the world while the earth shakes in #laguairavenezuela is the greatest challenge of my life’. The clip has been viewed thousands of times, with commenters calling the baby an ‘angel with a mission’. @beatroski40 said on Instagram: ‘The miracle of life in the midst of darkness’. ‘Peace in the midst of the storm ?’, said @rossyrosario27, with @jmarreroaccesorios adding: ‘It’s incredible what the Venezuelan people do in the streets for their people.’
Another infant rescued from rubble
And in another miraculous moment, a trapped 18-day-old baby was rescued from the earthquake rubble, with cameras capturing the moment the little one was handed back to her father. Wrapped in what looked to be a pillowcase, the tiny baby was carefully lifted out of the ruins and passed over to him, the new dad crying in relief as onlookers applauded. The baby was then delicately wiped down and taken to hospital, and teams saved her mother around 90 minutes later. Reacting to the online clip, viewers were also reduced to tears, declaring it ‘one of the most incredible things to come out of’ the tragedy and heaping praise on the ‘heroic’ rescue teams.
International response
It comes after King Charles and Queen Camilla issued a personal message to the people of Venezuela, saying they are ‘deeply saddened’ by what’s happened. The King shared on Friday night: ‘My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the devastating earthquakes that have struck your country and of the tragic loss of life and suffering they have caused. ‘At this most difficult of times, we send our profound sympathy to all those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. ‘Our special thoughts are with the injured, those awaiting news of family and friends, and the emergency responders working tirelessly to support those in desperate need.
‘We greatly admire the resilience and strength of the Venezuelan people and send our most heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this terrible tragedy.’ The UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR), which responds to disasters on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, has also sent out a search and rescue team to the South American country. Made up of 68 people, it consists of fire brigades across the country and left RAF Brize Norton along with six specialist search dogs and humanitarian staff. Additionally, the government has made £2million of humanitarian funding available to help respond to the disaster.
