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A severely weakened cat was extracted from beneath the debris of a flattened apartment building in Venezuela on Saturday, a rescue operation that a volunteer worker labeled a "ray of hope" following a series of deadly earthquakes.
More than 5,100 people were killed when back-to-back quakes struck the South American nation on June 24, with the coastal state of La Guaira hit hardest.
Volunteer rescue worker Andres Carvajal said he spotted the cat during a search in a La Guaira housing complex that had been reduced to rubble. "We saw the cat; it got scared and went back inside, deeper into the building," Carvajal said.
It was unclear when it had become trapped. "I went in, took off my glove, put some cat food on my arm... It gradually came closer and, of course, ate with a bit of desperation," the 21-year-old university student told Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporters. Carvajal had written "el gato," the cat, on his helmet, which he said had been his nickname since elementary school.
He and other students from the Central University of Venezuela, in Caracas, formed an association to help with rescue operations. Once rescued, the cat was handed over to a small camp where vets were on standby.
It was given fluids and cleaned before being sent to a shelter. "I'm very happy we found it," Carvajal said. "It's impossible not to feel empathy for any life that's here. And finding this little cat is obviously a ray of light, a ray of hope."
The death toll from two major earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 5,069, authorities said.
Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, provided an update on the disaster via social media. Rodriguez said the death toll had increased by 139 to reach 5,069, while the number of injured stood at 16,740.
According to national media, Maiquetia Simon Bolivar International Airport, a key hub for the country's domestic and international air traffic, remains closed due to earthquake damage.
The US Geological Survey reported that two earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, hit Venezuela on June 24, 39 seconds apart.
The UN Development Programme said on June 26 that the direct physical damage caused by the earthquakes was estimated at $6.7 billion.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in the country, with officials warning that the death and injury toll could climb further.
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