A Baby Born Under the Light of a Mobile Phone... A 'Small Miracle' at a Venezuelan Shelter

Mother Escapes to Stadium Shelter in Devastated City
Safely Delivers Baby Despite Lack of Medical Staff

A story has emerged of new life being born immediately after an earthquake at a shelter in La Guaira, northern Venezuela, an area severely affected by a series of earthquakes. Amid the disaster that caused thousands of deaths, paramedics and evacuees at the site, which lacked even proper medical equipment, worked together to save the mother and the baby.

On July 7 (local time), AFP reported the story of a baby being born at the site of the earthquake disaster in Venezuela. While rescue operations to find survivors in the rubble continued, a 19-year-old pregnant woman who had taken refuge in a shelter gave birth to a son under the light of a mobile phone, and the surrounding evacuees welcomed the birth of the baby with applause.

A story has emerged of a new life born immediately after the earthquake at a shelter in La Guaira, northern Venezuela, where damage from a series of strong earthquakes has been concentrated. Amid the disaster that claimed thousands of lives, emergency rescuers and evacuees at the site, which was not properly equipped with medical devices, joined forces to save the mother and baby. AP Yonhap News

Eliana Garcia, who was 38 weeks pregnant, felt her water break while fleeing with her family immediately after the massive earthquake that struck the Caribbean coast of Venezuela on the 24th of last month. Garcia had previously been told by doctors that natural childbirth would be difficult due to a narrow pelvis and was scheduled to have a cesarean section a week later.

However, with buildings collapsing and roads covered in debris due to the earthquake, it was difficult to get to a hospital immediately. The family managed to spread out a single sheet they had brought with them and laid Garcia down. The site was in extreme chaos, filled with residents searching for their families, rescue workers looking for survivors, and evacuees. Garcia's sister-in-law, Julia Di Giuseppe (37), ran outside to seek help. However, the rescue workers were busy searching for survivors amid the debris of collapsed buildings. When Di Giuseppe returned empty-handed, she saw that Garcia had already gone into labor.

She desperately asked an emergency responder, who was looking for his own family, for help, and the paramedic immediately began assisting with the delivery. At the time, there was no running water, electricity, or surgical gloves at the site. The paramedic continued the delivery using only the light from a mobile phone and hand sanitizer. Soon after, Garcia gave birth to a baby boy. As the baby was born, applause broke out among the evacuees gathered nearby, and in response to the sound, the baby let out his first cry.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in northern Venezuela, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on the 24th of last month, followed by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake about 39 seconds later. Damage was concentrated in La Guaira and the capital Caracas area, and foreign media report that the number of casualties and displaced people continues to rise. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

It was also not easy to take care of the umbilical cord in the absence of medical equipment. Di Giuseppe explained that people took out hair ties and tied both sides of the cord, then applied alcohol. The umbilical cord was cut with nail scissors. Garcia was then moved in the arms of her family, first in a garbage collection cart and then in an ambulance, and finally arrived at a public hospital. Although the hospital was crowded with earthquake victims, the medical staff took care of the mother and newborn.

Garcia had originally planned to name her son Daniel Eduardo. However, thinking of her sister who went missing during the earthquake, she decided to name the baby Gael Jesus. She told AFP, "My sister always told me to name the baby Gael," and added, "I've decided to call him Gael Jesus for my sister. This is my own way of being with her."

The birth of new life brought comfort to the family, but the wounds of the disaster were deep. Di Giuseppe, watching Garcia breastfeed her baby, said, "We saved this child, but we lost two nephews." Garcia's 14-year-old and 11-year-old nephews were found dead in the rubble of a collapsed apartment, and it was reported that Garcia's sister and another nephew are still missing.

Meanwhile, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in northern Venezuela, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred on the 24th of last month, followed by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake about 39 seconds later. Damage was concentrated in the La Guaira and Caracas areas, and foreign media reported that the number of fatalities and displaced persons continues to rise.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.