On June 24, 2026, the feast of Saint John the Baptist and a national holiday in Venezuela, Kamar Galíndez was preparing for his workout at the gym of the Hotel Chipi’s Beach in Playa Grande, La Guaira. At 6:05 p.m., two consecutive earthquakes shook the region, collapsing the building and burying dozens of people. Kamar, 53, managed to survive after being trapped under a beam that crushed his chest, and today he asserts that the Miraculous Medal he wore around his neck was key to his rescue.
The moment of collapse
In an interview with ACI Prensa, Kamar recounted that when he felt the first seismic movement, the gym machines began to shift like hockey pucks. “The floor split and immediately what I saw was like half the building leaning forward and the part where I was collapsed vertically. I felt the void under my feet and the next thing was being trapped in the rubble,” he recalled. Facing imminent death, he invoked Christ of Mercy: “Lord, have mercy,” was his cry.
Trapped but with faith
Kamar never lost consciousness. With his left arm fractured and his body pinned, he could see the sky through the rubble. “Much desperation, much fear,” he confessed, but in the midst of suffering he entrusted himself to God: “Father God, help me get out of here. Give me calm and tell me what to do.” After a time he described as “eternal,” a man who climbed the mountain of rubble helped him free himself.
The medal that appeared
Upon descending from the building on his own, Kamar noticed that the chain with a crucifix and a Miraculous Virgin medal had broken. However, while receiving first aid, he asked some young men to put his watch in his shorts pocket. “When I look, don’t ask me from where, don’t ask me how, a piece of the chain and the Miraculous Virgin medal were linked together,” he recounted. “I tell the boy: ‘Please, also keep that little medal for me, because that was the one that saved me.’” For Kamar, there is no doubt that his life is a miracle obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin.
A message of hope
“In the greatest adversity, you begin to see God in the most basic things, because the most basic becomes impossible. When you achieve it, one says: ‘Only God can achieve it,’” he stated. Kamar considers what happened a reminder of humility and that life is the greatest gift. The tragedy, which to date has left 3,535 dead and 16,740 injured according to official figures, has also revealed testimonies of solidarity and faith. “There is a God who takes care of you at that moment, of what you need,” he concluded.
Original source: www.aciprensa.com (published July 6, 2026)
