In brief
Following twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela, Dayana Patino was pulled from the rubble of her apartment with her newborn son Juan David. The 18‑day‑old’s presence motivated her to stay alert, touching his nose to ensure he was breathing. Footage of the rescue has turned the infant into a hopeful symbol amid the emergency. Dayana’s husband, Gerson, describes the moment of rescue as a miracle, and the family, though broken, plans to rebuild.
A mother who was pulled from the rubble of her wrecked home in Venezuela with her 18‑day‑old baby has told the BBC how her son helped keep her alive.
Dayana Patino said her son Juan David gave her the motivation to stay awake and alert. “As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive. Every now and then I was touching his nose for proof that he was still breathing,” she said.
Footage of the rescue has gone viral; Juan David has become a symbol of hope amid the twin earthquakes that have killed at least 1,450 people and left tens of thousands missing.
Dayana’s story begins in her eighth‑floor apartment in La Guaira. The first tremor seemed light, but soon she was caught in a pit of falling debris. “I felt like I was flying. After that, I felt like I was sinking in water and dirt, and then I fell into the pit where I remained,” she recalls. She clung to her baby, refusing to let go, even when the earth shook around her.
When her brother called her name, Dayana screamed, “Here I am,” and he promised to find her. A rescue team eventually extracted both mother and child on Thursday night. Dayana suffered injuries to both legs; her son only sustained minor injuries.
Gerson, her husband, described the moment as indescribable. “I thought they were dead. And when I saw my son I felt like I was born again,” he told the BBC.
Although their home and possessions were destroyed and their pet dog is still missing, the family vows to rebuild. “We lost almost everything but here we are… We will rebuild everything we lost,” Gerson pledged.
For many Venezuelans, the disaster is described as “the most brutal natural catastrophe” in the country’s history, and ongoing search efforts continue as hope for more survivors diminishes.
