Ketchup & Cheese Save Venezuelan Girl Trapped for 32 Hours
On 24 June, a 7.5‑meter quake ripped a 10‑storey building apart in Caraballeda, northern Venezuela. 12‑year‑old Fabiana was buried under piles of concrete and debris, while her mother, Karina, searched the wreckage, shouting her daughter’s name.
For 32 hours, Fabiana was trapped with nothing but scraps of food around her. When she found a tube of ketchup and a block of grated cheese, she ate them to stay awake and alive. “It was the first thing that kept me conscious,” she says.
A volunteer named Viktor lived a few blocks away and finally reached the rubble. He shouted Fabiana’s name. Her voice answered back, and with his help, a rescue team was able to dig a trench wide enough for Fabiana to climb out at 2:00 a.m., the next day.
The moment Fabiana stepped into the clear light was captured on video, and the clip went viral across Venezuela. The camera showed her confetti‑‑like smile, emerging from a hole that looked like something out of a movie.
Only three people survived from the nearly 50 residents of that apartment block. In total, the earthquakes killed more than 3,300 people, and tens of thousands remain missing.
Fabiana is now living with her grandmother, reflecting on how “the little things saved me.” Her mother says, “My daughter is alive, her smile is proof that hope works.”
The Broader Picture
Across the coastal town, buildings still shiver under broken concrete. The story of Fabiana reminds us of resilience, of how even the smallest comforts can hold us together when disaster hits.
For more stories about disaster relief and human courage, check out our news archive.
