Overview
- Rescue teams from Venezuela, Argentina and El Salvador are working slowly and carefully through shored rubble to reach 9-year-old Fabio, about six metres from where crews are digging after the June 24 double earthquake.
- Fabio’s father has reported brief contact and rescuers say the boy has been hydrated and is weak, while a military member on site said the child may be next to his mother’s body and teams do not predict when they will reach him.
- The recovery follows a rare long-survival rescue of security guard Hernan Gil, pulled alive after eight days under debris, a development that has raised public hope for more survivors.
- Reporters and social-media posts say shortages of cranes, fuel and heavy equipment and a Chilean scanner’s unconfirmed detection of up to 39 live signals are hampering operations, claims that interim president Delcy Rodríguez has rejected and defended the government’s response.
- The earthquake has left an official death toll of 2,595 and damaged transport and airports, which officials say delayed some external aid; the coming hours will hinge on delivery of heavy machinery, international specialists and coordinated logistics.