Venezuelan Girl Survives 32 Hours Under Rubble on Ketchup and Cheese

Venezuela — Ekhbary News Agency

A 12-year-old Venezuelan girl, Fabiana, endured a harrowing 32 hours trapped beneath the debris of her collapsed home, remarkably surviving on only ketchup and grated cheese. Her miraculous rescue followed two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, with the second tremor registering a magnitude of 7.5, one of the strongest in a century.

The Ordeal Beneath the Rubble

Fabiana was in her mother's bedroom within their first-floor apartment in Caraballeda, northern La Guaira state, when the earth violently shook. Walls crumbled around her, throwing her to the ground. "I saw things shaking, falling, breaking, and then the walls cracked," Fabiana recounted, adding, "At that moment, I thought, 'I'm going to die. I won't survive this.'" Her mother, Karina Blanco, teaching a spinning class nearby, rushed home to find a gaping void where their 10-storey building once stood, half of her daughter's bed visible amongst the wreckage. For what it's worth, such a scene would test any parent's resolve.

Desperate Search and Miraculous Discovery

Under the silent, crushing weight, Fabiana, despite her usual anxiety, felt an inexplicable calm. A nurse, trapped nearby, called out, offering comfort before her own rescue six hours later. The nurse's crucial information—that a girl named Fabiana was alive inside—reignited Karina's fading hope. Firefighters initially found no signs of life, leading to moments of despair for Karina. However, a determined volunteer named Viktor became her "hero," pushing for continued efforts. Fabiana, meanwhile, discovered a bottle of ketchup and some grated cheese, consuming them to maintain consciousness during her agonizing wait. This simple act highlights the sheer will to live amidst catastrophe.