The mother of a baby who was pulled alive from the rubble in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Venezuela has said that she feels the child’s presence kept her alive.
At least 1,450 people have been confirmed dead after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes – the most powerful earthquakes to hit the country in more than a century – struck within 39 seconds of each other west of the capital Caracas.
Dayana Patino told the BBC that her 18-day-old son Juan David gave her “motivation to be awake and alert”.
“As long as he was alive, I was going to be alive,” she said. “Every now and then I was touching his nose for proof that he was still breathing.”
Footage of the miraculous rescue quickly spread on social media as the tiny child was pulled by emergency personnel from the wreckage.
Dayana described the gruelling ordeal and her survival strategy as she waited desperately for help.
“I said to myself I’m not going to waste my energy – I’m going to scream when it’s needed, when I hear voices or steps nearby,” she said.
“I don’t know how I kept so calm because my left leg was trapped under concrete. I couldn’t move. My temple was pressed against a rock.”
She then realised there was a bible beneath her. “There began my journey of survival,” she said.
She heard her brother calling her name at which point she screamed.
“I said to myself, this is my only chance. From the top of my lungs I cried out… I screamed ‘Here I am’ with all my might, and he said ‘I found you, and I promise you that I won’t leave until I get you out’.
“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. I don’t know how I didn’t let go of my baby because I was flying. I got crushed against furniture,” she said.
She suffered injuries to both of her legs while her son escaped with minor injuries.
“It was indescribable. I thought they were dead,” said Dayan’s husband Gerson who had just come back from work.
“And when I saw my son I felt like I was born again. I couldn’t believe it… I felt the life come back to me.”
