{"id":2671,"date":"2026-07-02T23:05:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2026-07-02T23:05:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:05:51","slug":"south-florida-led-team-worked-50-hours-to-save-trapped-survivor-from-rubble-in-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2671","title":{"rendered":"South Florida-led team worked 50+ hours to save trapped survivor from rubble in Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The world knows Hern\u00e1n\u2019s story \u2014 the security guard who was pulled alive from the rubble of a building that collapsed after the two deadly earthquakes that struck Venezuela\u2019s La Guaira state and other parts of the country on June 24.<\/p>\n

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For nearly 72 hours, international rescue teams worked to save Hern\u00e1n Alberto Flores Gil, who became a symbol of hope amid the tragedy.<\/p>\n

What many people in Florida may not know is that a group of Miami rescuers was part of the international team that spent more than 53 hours working to free the security guard, who survived thanks to the guard booth where he was working when the powerful earthquakes struck.<\/p>\n

Flores Gil spent eight days trapped beneath the rubble. He was working the night shift as a security guard at the Galer\u00edas Playa Grande shopping center when the first earthquake hit. Although the surrounding concrete structure collapsed around him, the guard booth remained standing, creating an air pocket that kept him alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife he was alive in case he didn\u2019t make it,\u201d Minyar Collado, a Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer, told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Rescuers first made contact with Flores Gil on Sunday and remained in communication with him until he was freed.<\/p>\n

The rescue operation officially began at 10 a.m. local time Monday. From that point on, a team of about 100 rescuers \u2014 including personnel from Chile, the United States, Portugal, Costa Rica and El Salvador \u2014 maintained constant communication with him, providing water and medication.<\/p>\n

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Among them were members of Florida Task Force 2 (FL-TF2), led by the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department.
According to the City of Miami, the team worked continuously for more than 53 hours, using specialized search-and-rescue equipment, advanced technology and structural engineers to safely free the survivor.<\/p>\n

Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins told Telemundo 51 she was proud of the work carried out by the rescue team.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, all of Miami has a reason to be proud,\u201d Higgins said.<\/p>\n

The mayor explained that the team traveled to Venezuela as part of a humanitarian mission requested by the U.S. Department of State.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used highly advanced equipment and tools to cut through the concrete with the support and guidance of structural engineers,\u201d Higgins said. \u201cThis rescue demonstrates what humanity can accomplish when we work together.”<\/p>\n

This story was translated from Spanish with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. An NBC6 editor reviewed the translation.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A group of Miami rescuers was part of the international team that spent more than 53 hours working to free the security guard, who survived thanks to the guard\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-venezuela-earthquakes"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Florida-led team worked 50+ hours to save trapped survivor from rubble in Venezuela - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2671\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Florida-led team worked 50+ hours to save trapped survivor from rubble in Venezuela - 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