Miracle in the Ruins: Baby Born on the Street Beside Earthquake Rubble Brings Tears of Hope to Devastated Venezuela
A miracle baby boy was born beside a collapsed building in Venezuela, bringing hope to a country devastated by Wednesday’s back-to-back earthquakes.
Video footage showed a woman identified as Dr. María Fernanda Terán delivering the baby while his mother lay on the pavement in the coastal city of La Guairá, the area hardest hit by the powerful quakes.
Terán was seen holding the newborn as a male bystander supported the upper half of her body. Another person later stepped in to place an additional covering over the mother.
The mother, whose identity has not been released, was rescued from a collapsed building and taken to a safe area, where she went into labor. Local reports said both the mother and baby are doing well.
“Bringing a baby into the world while the earth shakes in #LaGuairaVenezuela is the greatest challenge of my life,” Terán wrote on her social media account.
Venezuelans celebrated the miraculous birth and praised Terán for her efforts.
“Amidst the darkness, there is light,” one person commented. “Here is living proof; that treasure arrived to be a light.”
“Because in the midst of misfortune, miracles still exist,” another person wrote.
“That infant is a blessing, and it is a blessing to have made it through that storm,” another follower said. “So beautiful.”
“Girl, I’m so proud to be your colleague,” one of Terán’s co-workers added. “Go out there and do it for all of us doctors from Trujillo who want to be there but have to be here.”
Terán could not be reached for comment.
The two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast, killing more than 1,400 people and injuring over 3,000, according to figures released Friday by National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez. Families across the country have also reported at least 68,900 people missing.
Among the dead were several promising young soccer players.
Rodríguez said nearly 3,000 people had lost their homes and that at least 1,400 buildings were damaged, including 13 hospitals and 25 commercial facilities.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at 7:04 p.m. local time, followed just 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 quake. The twin tremors toppled buildings in the capital, Caracas, and 15 other cities, leaving residents desperately searching for their loved ones.
