The young mother found hope holding her son in the darkness when she realized there was a Bible resting just underneath her.
As tens of thousands remain missing after back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the harrowing survival story of Dayana Patino and her 18-day-old son has captivated a grieving nation, offering a beacon of hope amid a tragedy that has left nearly 1,500 dead and 3,000 injured.
Patino was home doing laundry inside her eighth-floor apartment when the ground began to shake violently. She quickly grabbed her baby to protect him, hoping it would “only be a light tremor,” she told BBC News.
“I felt like I was flying. After that, I felt like I was sinking in water and dirt, and then I fell into the pit where I remained,” Patino said. “I don’t know how I didn’t let go of my baby because I was flying. I got crushed against furniture.”
Her first instinct was to scream, but she quickly realized her efforts would be futile in the chaos. “I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to waste my energy — I’m going to scream when it’s needed, when I hear voices or steps nearby.’”
She explained
