A South Florida rescue team is being praised after helping save a man who survived eight days trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building following the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.

Hernán Alberto Flores Gil was working the overnight shift as a security guard at the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in La Guaira when two powerful earthquakes struck on June 24. While much of the building collapsed, the small security booth where he was stationed remained intact, creating an air pocket that kept him alive.

After eight days without food or water, an international search and rescue effort finally reached Flores Gil. Among the roughly 100 rescuers working around the clock were members of Florida Task Force 2, led by the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department, alongside rescue teams from Chile, Costa Rica, Portugal, El Salvador, and Venezuela.

According to the City of Miami, Florida Task Force 2 spent more than 53 continuous hours using specialized search and rescue equipment, advanced technology, and structural engineers to safely free Flores Gil from the rubble.

One of the most emotional moments came after rescuers first made contact with him. Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado told The Associated Press that Flores Gil asked the team not to tell his wife he was alive in case the rescue was unsuccessful.

His wife later called him a warrior, saying he survived the unimaginable and thanking God for bringing him home.

Several South Florida firefighters are part of the mission, including veteran Miami firefighter Eric D’Armas. His daughter, Ariana D’Armas, said watching her father help save another life has been incredibly emotional, adding that his experience during the Surfside condominium collapse helped prepare him for the difficult conditions now facing rescuers in Venezuela.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue team is also on the ground, using specially trained search dogs to help locate additional survivors in areas that would otherwise be nearly impossible to search.

Miami officials say the mission was carried out as part of a humanitarian response requested by the U.S. Department of State.

While the earthquakes left widespread destruction across northern Venezuela, Flores Gil’s rescue has become a symbol of hope and a reminder of what can happen when rescue teams from around the world work together to save a life.