Venezuelan security guard rescued after surviving 8 days buried in rubble following earthquake

Rescuers in Venezuela pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive after he'd been buried in a collapsed basement since two earthquakes struck the country eight days ago. 

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores had been trapped under the wreckage of a shopping center since June 24, and rescuers initially made contact with him over the weekend, the Associated Press reported. 

Rescuers worked more than 100 hours to free him, navigating the unstable structure in torrential rain and aftershocks to tunnel down to him. Teams carrying flags from around the world cheered as he emerged, carried on a stretcher. 

Gil Flores worked as a night security guard at the shopping center, and he was in a small office when the first earthquake struck. While the building collapsed around him, the small cabin held up, providing him with a small pocket.