Rescue teams from the United States, France and Venezuela extracted a father and his young son from a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Sunday after they had been trapped for four days following two earthquakes.

The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck the northern coast on Wednesday, killing 1,450 people, injuring thousands and leaving many missing. Search teams continued combing rubble for several days with hope diminishing.

On Sunday, a pair of dust‑coated legs was pulled from a hole by rescuers, and the father was carried out onto a black tarp, where he received an intravenous drip. His son, who appeared unresponsive, was lifted over a rescue worker’s shoulders and taken to an ambulance.

Rescue personnel chanted “slow, slow, gentle, gentle” in Spanish and English as they moved the pair through a crowd of onlookers. The extraction was followed by applause from rescue workers and civilians.

U.S. firefighters from the Fairfax County Urban Search & Rescue team and members of the French Civil Security Training and Intervention Regiment assisted in the operation. Local Venezuelan firefighters and volunteers also participated.

Associated Press journalists Juan Pablo Arraez and Matias Delacroix observed the scene and noted that many had begun to lose hope. “When somebody makes it out alive, this father and son, it’s more than a glimpse; it’s real hope for people,” Arraez said as helicopters flew overhead.

Other survivors were also rescued. A woman who had been trapped for 70 hours sat up on a stretcher, waved to cheering crowds, and was loaded into an ambulance. A dust‑covered dog was pulled from a crack in the concrete and given water by Venezuelan firefighters.

Authorities reported 1,450 deaths on Sunday, with thousands more injured and many still missing. Rescue operations remained active as crews searched for additional survivors.

The two earthquakes represent the most significant natural disaster to affect Venezuela in recent decades, and the coordinated international response highlighted ongoing humanitarian challenges in the region.