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Andreína Sarmiento told the BBC she would care for her two-year-old nephew Kleiber Moran with a mother’s warmth until his mother Ana Luz and father Carlos are located following his rescue from earthquake rubble in La Guaira state. Sarmiento, 23, said the boy recognized her upon their reunion at a Caracas hospital, uttering the words she Auntie. The aunt added she was praying for strength to look after the child, noting her sister had often referred to him as her own son and that the situation now felt like a handover of responsibility.
Moran was extracted early Tuesday by a team of Jordanian rescuers after spending six days trapped, a BBC report stated. United Kingdom rescue personnel had attempted to reach him beforehand without success. The boy arrived at the hospital in the capital with scratches but no fractures, slept through the night and by Wednesday was stabilized, offering kisses and beginning to speak, according to the same account.
Venezuelan authorities placed the death toll from the two major earthquakes at more than 2,290 with over 11,200 injured and tens of thousands reported missing, a Wikipedia compilation of official updates indicated. An ABC News live blog from one day earlier listed at least 1,943 dead and 10,571 injured from the pair of powerful quakes. CNN reporting on June 29 said the toll had already passed 1,700 as miraculous rescues continued to offer hope amid the devastation.
The United Nations News service reported that rescue workers and emergency personnel had gathered around collapsed buildings with heavy machinery four days after the quakes, as international teams joined local efforts. A UN assessment found search operations proceeded amid impossible odds with thousands still unaccounted for under flattened structures. Democracy Now cited activist Beatriz Ochoa on June 30 calling for continued global support for the Venezuelan people as recovery work persisted.
Sarmiento expressed faith that search teams would locate her sister and brother-in-law just as they had found her nephew. She told the BBC the ordeal would form part of the child’s story when he grows up, God willing. The aunt remained at the hospital with Moran, who was surrounded by toys and other children in the ward.
The quakes struck on June 24 with epicenters in Veroes, according to the Wikipedia entry drawing from seismic data. Initial Reuters dispatches from June 25 noted a top lawmaker confirming at least 188 dead and 1,520 injured at that early stage, with a dedicated tracking website established. International rescue coordination expanded rapidly in subsequent days as the scale of destruction in northwestern and central Venezuela became clear.
