A 12-year-old girl, Fabiana, survived 32 hours trapped under the rubble of her collapsed apartment building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24. The second quake, magnitude 7.5, was one of the strongest in a century. Fabiana was in her mother's bedroom when the tremors began; she ran to the kitchen, where walls collapsed around her.

Her mother, Karina Blanco, was teaching a spinning class when the earthquake hit. She rushed home and found the building destroyed. "I could see one building, then a gap where my building stood, and then another building," she said. She saw half of her daughter's bed sticking out of the debris and initially believed Fabiana was dead.

Under the rubble, Fabiana remained calm despite being claustrophobic. She found her phone and recorded a video message pleading for help. She also found a bottle of ketchup and grated cheese, which kept her conscious. A nurse trapped nearby was rescued and told volunteers about Fabiana. However, firefighters initially failed to reach her.

A volunteer named Viktor persisted in calling out to Fabiana and eventually made contact. After several rescue attempts, a team from Caracas arrived. Using motorcycle and car headlights for illumination, they chiseled through the debris and finally reached Fabiana. At 2 a.m. local time, 32 hours after the quake, she was pulled out alive, smiling. She suffered a fractured left foot and minor cuts.

Karina said only three of the building's nearly 50 residents survived. As of Sunday, 3,342 deaths were confirmed, with thousands missing. Fabiana is now living with her grandmother. "Initially I was scared to lie down, especially on my back, as I would remember the time I spent in the rubble," she said. Karina added, "What more can a mother want? My daughter is alive."

Source: www.bbc.co.uk