In an astonishing survival story, a poodle was rescued alive after spending 29 days trapped beneath the rubble of a building destroyed by two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela.
The white poodle, named Beyli, was covered in dust when rescuers discovered him last week curled up beside the body of his owner’s mother, according to Diario de Morelos.
Beyli became trapped after two devastating earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck on June 24 and destroyed a building in the Venezuelan port city of Catia La Mar.
Dramatic video from the rescue showed firefighters carefully giving the exhausted dog water after pulling him from the wreckage.
Despite reportedly surviving for nearly a month without access to food or water, Beyli is expected to make a full recovery.
“Really, it is a miracle,” a veterinarian identified only as Mirna said. “It is a miracle, everything that has happened with him. He has some ulcers in the eyes, but soon he will be fine.”
Beyli was later washed and examined by medical workers after being carried to safety.
His owner, 11-year-old Victoria Isabel Rengel, lost both her mother and grandmother in the earthquakes. She has since been reunited with Beyli, and the two are now staying together at a rescue center.
Beyli was not the only dog found alive following the disaster.
Days after the earthquakes, another video went viral showing firefighters from Caracas working to free a dog trapped beneath the remains of a home.
One firefighter could be seen sliding a bottle of water toward the animal, which had become pinned underneath a metal bar.
A third dog, known only as Giselle, was reportedly rescued five days after the earthquakes in a dramatic operation that took less than 40 seconds.
More than 5,500 people were killed and another 16,700 were injured in the earthquakes. Thousands of survivors reportedly remained homeless one month after the disaster.
Beyli’s incredible rescue offered a rare moment of hope following a catastrophe that devastated thousands of families.