A mother, whose daughter was pulled alive from earthquake rubble in Venezuela, said she "surrendered to God for strength" before the extraordinary rescue.
Karina Blanco's daughter, Fabiana, has become an image of resilience, after a video of her smiling as she was uncovered by rescuers went viral.
The twelve-year-old had been at home, when the double earthquakes struck last Sunday.
The apartment building collapsed around her, leaving Fabiana trapped under a door and blocks of concrete for 32 hours.
Fabiana’s mother, Karina, raced home from work when she felt the tremors. Seeing her building levelled, she believed her daughter was dead.
“I had surrendered to God asking for strength to begin a new life without Fabiana,” she told the BBC. It was at that moment that someone told her: “Your daughter is alive.”
Fabiana’s cries had been heard by a neighbour – a nurse, also trapped in the rubble of the building. After being pulled to safety, she told rescuers that they had to go back for Fabiana.
The mission was not straightforward, and multiple crews tried to locate her unsuccessfully. However, a local volunteer named Viktor did not give up. Despite it being the middle of the night, with power outages, he and Karina rallied locals to point their motorcycle headlights at the building.
They were able to direct firefighters to Fabiana and chisel a hole in the concrete.
Fabiana’s smile as she emerged from the ruins alive has become a rare moment of hope in Venezuela’s tragedy.
“After so many hours of being shut in, I was filled with joy when I saw them,” said Fabiana. “I realised I was going to be rescued.”
The twelve-year-old said she is usually claustrophobic, but felt a surreal calm whilst trapped.
“For some reason, I had hope and faith,” she said. She was able to stay conscious by eating ketchup and a packet of grated cheese, which had landed near her in the debris.
Of around 50 residents in the block, only three, including Fabiana and the nurse, survived.
“There is a great sadness outside of this house,” said Karina. “I feel so much pain when I think of my neighbours and my friends. It will take us a while to recover. But we will move on. What more can a mother want? My daughter is alive."