Venezuela quake survivor pulled out alive after eight days

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0:40Hello and welcome to NewsHour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service studios in central London. I'm Tim Frax. We're beginning with an interview out of Venezuela, and it is that rare thing more than a week after those two powerful earthquakes rocked the country. It's a story of wonder, of, as our interviewee says, a miracle, that a man has been pulled alive from underneath tonnes of rubble. Hundreds of rescue workers from seven countries worked for more than 100 hours to save Enan Gil, a 43-year-old security guard who was found trapped beneath a collapsed residential building and multi-storey parking lot in the city of Katia Lamar.

1:22Among that international rescue team was Chief Manny Sampang, task force leader from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. There is several crews from throughout the world. Right now, I believe we have 59 search and rescue teams. Our role in this was to assist Chile and our international partners in extricating this gentleman who was deeply entombed in a debris pile. Right. It seems extraordinary that somebody who, as you say, He was entombed, to use that very evocative word. He was buried down there for more than a week. Do you understand how it was that he did manage to survive, both in terms of being protected against the rubble that was presumably pressing down close around him, but also just how he survived without ready access to food and drink?

2:10So the entombed was a specific word that was used only because he was not pinned by any rubble. He actually had a void space surrounding him, so he didn't have any direct injuries. So he was a security guard. He was located in his guard booth, which was a subterranean parking garage, approximately two levels below grade. What had occurred is that the structure above him, which was a residential apartment complex, had collapsed directly above his booth. You know, I will tell you, with the amount of debris that was there, the only thing I can say for him surviving. It was a miracle. Yeah, it was a miracle.

2:52It was also, of course, down to the work of people like you and your colleagues and the other crews, because of the expertise that you had to get him out, because presumably also getting him out, it's not just a question of you sort of drilling down. You presumably have to be incredibly careful that anything that you do does not then disturb the tons of debris around him. Absolutely. I will tell you this was probably, it was the most comprehensive, difficult, precarious rescue that we have ever accomplished, as well as I would say in the USAR community. what we had because this debris fell upon him and was being supported basically by the debris itself so we had to very meticulously and methodically tunnel through the debris in order to keep the debris pile stable to prevent any further collapse so it was by far the most technically challenging rescue that we have ever performed or assisted in forming yeah just on the point of this man lasting for nine days, eight days, without any obvious ways of sustaining himself, food and water.

4:03I mean, have you got any insight into how he managed to do that? Absolutely. So approximately day three, we were able to establish contact with him through a small crack in the debris. And Chile International Search and Rescue Team, they were able to insert a feeding tube. He was provided water and electrolytes through that tube. So that is probably why he was in such good condition upon being extricated from the pile. Right, I've got you. And do you know how it was known that he was there at all? Yes, there was a Costa Rican Cruz Roja member that was in the area during a period of silence and actually heard the screams for assistance and for help from him in the guard shack.

4:45It is utterly amazing. We've heard over the past week and a bit a lot of voices of frustration from Venezuelans about the level of response that Venezuelan authorities have been able to muster. Have you got any sense of what levels of response there have been? I mean, and just how you have found things, I'm sure cooperating with your international partners has worked extremely well in this case, but just a sense of how things are going as a whole? Well, I can tell you that we as a team haven't experienced any issues with either accessing sites or attempting to rescue victims. What I can tell you is the Venezuelan people are welcoming us with open arms.

5:30They understand that we're a very highly trained, highly skilled team that brings a lot of tools and technology, as well as our canines, our search canines, medical doctors, structure specialists that are here to assist them. We are still in the area doing reconnaissance. As we speak now, we have two crews out in the field that are continuing with rescue operations and search operations. And that was the L.A. Fire Chief Manny Sampang speaking to me from Katyalamar in Venezuela. Let's go from there to Kiev, where it was a terrifying night, another terrifying night.

6:10sound recorded just outside a metro station in ukraine's capital officials in kiev saying now that at least 25 people were killed 90 others injured in those overnight russian strikes ukraine's air force say that 500 drones and 75 missiles hit the city in what the mayor described as the most massive attack on the capital residential buildings an ambulance stationed in a Red Cross warehouse containing humanitarian aid were destroyed. Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford is in Kiev and has been surveying the aftermath.

6:46Just walking down the road towards the building that was hit last night and there's ash blowing into my face in the wind. I'm walking past blocks of flats with the windows blown out. lots of smashed glass on the floor here and by the side of the road okay i've just walked around the corner now and in front of me there's a a nine-story building with the whole end of it completely blown off

7:23there's a huge heap of concrete and brick that looks like it's just slid down the front of the building. A big digger scraping through that debris, clearing it away.

7:38Right up at the top of what's left of this building I can see three emergency workers in blue overalls and red hard hats picking through the debris. We've been told that there are six people still missing. I don't know if there's any chance of finding them amongst all of this. There's a man there with some blood on his cheek in Skansky.

8:06I was smoking when it happened, and I saw the two strikes. The first was behind the kindergarten, then here. I didn't even have time to duck. All the glass flew out, and my door collapsed on me. Then I came outside, they took me to medics, and they gave me stitches.

8:32Russian officials like to claim that they're retaliating for Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian territory. But the actual fact is that Russia has been doing this and causing this kind of damage and civilian deaths from the very beginning of its full-scale invasion more than four years ago. Sarah Rainsford reporting for us from Kiev. So what can we read into what might be not just Russian military strategy right now, but also perhaps Vladimir Putin's state of mind, given his recent and unusual acknowledgement that Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russia are also exacting a toll? Nina Khrushcheva is professor of international affairs at the New School University in New York City.

9:19She's currently in Moscow. What's her view? There is certainly a bit of a shock of Putin, probably, although it shouldn't have because it's his war. So there must be some plan B, C, D and other plans. But certainly to the population, because until recently, the boarding areas with Ukraine were suffering from the war, but not so much other places. And now they are. And so, of course, Putin admitted some. I mean, when we say admitted, this is so little comparing to long lines that all over Russia people experience when they try to buy fuel and gas and drive around looking for places where they can get it and the prices went up and whatnot.

10:05So, I mean, yes, he does feel a little bit of a pressure, but the large attack on Kiev is not because of the pressure, but because it is war. And so the more Ukraine hits, the more Russia hits. And in fact, many in Russia ask, especially the patriots, those who are supporting the war, they're saying, so now we're finally hitting these places in Kiev. Why weren't they hit a year ago, two years ago? Right. Do you think that it then potentially could cause some concern for Vladimir Putin in terms of the question of whether he might need to call for a more general mobilization of troops? Very likely, and it has been all predictions.

10:52I mean, I think when the internet and social media was being blocked as of early spring, late winter, there were expectations that in April, they may be full mobilization, or at least another partial mobilization, which happened in September 2022. And it was such a shock to the system. So potentially, and there's going to be parliamentary and municipal elections in Russia in September, and the expectations or at least some analysis suggests that if the war is not going to go in the Russian favor, I mean, if Ukraine continues to have advantages in drone attacks at least, and hitting more infrastructure and more cities, then probably in late September and October there would be another attempt at mobilization.

11:44So that is expected and almost predicted in Russia. It's a serious expectation, but people hope it's not going to happen. But if it is an absolute understanding that it is going to happen, we don't know how the society is going to react. I mean, it is incredibly difficult to predict. But is your best guess then at the moment that the president is thinking about escalation? I mean, that he's not thinking about this is draining our resources. This is bleeding our country. It is time to make an attempt to sue for peace. I mean, what I've known of Putin, I've been studying him for 25 years. This kind of Western narrative that he responds to pressure, he's afraid of pressure, and the more you press him, the more likely he's going to look for peace.

12:41For me, what I know of him, it's the exact opposite. The more you push him, the more escalation it's going to be. So yes, the resources are draining. The economy is not doing well. People are upset for Putin. That's a sign that he needs to push more. Because as every strong man, I mean, we see it with Donald Trump also, they don't really turn back because for them, that's a sign of weakness. Any turning back, any response to even a whiff of appearing as if you're responding to pressure means that it's weakness. So for me, the more you push Putin, the more he'll escalate. And that was Nina Khrushchev, a professor of international affairs at the New School University in New York City.

13:25and she was speaking to me from Moscow. This is News Air.

13:37Coming up in the programme, the chair of the jury of one of the world's most highly regarded international piano competitions tells us why he's planning to rip up the rulebook. Someone could choose to play nothing from the standard repertoire in the entire competition, including the concertos, I might add. And if they delight us and challenge us, then they have a chance of winning the first prize. So if you want to come along and play all Stockhausen, I mean, it might be a challenge for us, but I wouldn't say no. Stephen Hough on how he's going to try and liberate the leads. That's coming up in about 30 minutes.

14:13Our main headline this hour is what we led the news programme with. A man trapped for more than a week in rubble after twin earthquakes in Venezuela has been pulled out alive.

14:37You're with the BBC and live from London, this is NewsHour with me, Tim Franks. A convicted smuggler who was described as the godfather of people trafficking when he was arrested in Europe has been found living in the United Kingdom by a BBC investigation. Twana Jamal was described by French police as the most successful smuggler they had ever caught, earning millions of dollars from hiding people in lorries bound for Britain. He's one of more than 20 people smugglers the BBC has found to have reached the UK, some with overseas convictions and some claiming asylum under false identities. Our reporter Sue Mitchell followed a tip-off that Twana Jamal was out of prison and running shops and firms in the United Kingdom, the kind you might find in any town or city.

15:22All right. Yeah, how are you? A car wash in the north of England. It's not run by Twana Jamal, but I'm told he's been here since he left prison in France. Wash and dry? Yeah, wash and dry, thank you. I'm visiting with a former worker who knows Twana Jamal from the French migrant camps, and this is the last place he saw him. To protect our contact, we're using his words and not his voice. And he came inside the car wash. He kissed me and he said, I'm here in Bradford, I want to open some businesses here in Bradford. What did you think when you saw him again? He feels like he's a king, he's rich.

15:59Tuala Jamal was known as the king of the jungle, a reference to the Calais jungle, which was the largest migrant camp in France. We get a tip-off that he might be in the city of Leicester and we find someone who's in touch with him from time to time. They arrange to speak and record the conversation. Here it is in translation. Yeah, right now I'm in Leicester. We know everyone in this city. This city's ours. All I'm doing is illegal, but it's OK because they're not going to catch me or anything. Leicester's good for business. We're making good money. No-one touches us here. Tawana Jamal is from Iraqi Kurdistan, the city of Rania, which is home to a network of smuggling gangs and where many are recruiting from.

16:47Hi, mate, how you doing? My colleague Rob Lorry has hundreds of contacts in Iraq, including smugglers like this one. We're using his words and not his voice. And it's not just Tawana, I told you. There's maybe 100 people I know, 100 people who are working two years, three years in France as smugglers. They make money, they go to England, change their name, then stay, have papers. Yes, it's a crazy system. From Iraq, we learn about Tawana Jamal's family and use those names to search for businesses he could be linked to. There's a match. Two identical mini markets outside Leicester city centre Over several days, Rob and I watch them both.

17:33I've got eyes on him. Twana, I have absolutely got eyes on him. He's dressed in a long black coat, white trainers and blue jeans, opening the black door. They've just pulled in the white van. We see Twana Jamal come and go, driving vans to other premises and running one of the shops each night. When we're confident it's him from a distance, Rob goes into the shop and records secretly. Jamal has a distinctive tattoo on his hand, which should help to identify him. What's your name? Sultan. Sultan. Nice. Sultan, that's a big strong name. The so-called king of smugglers gives his name as Sultan. It's our man.

18:17Is it? Yeah, it's our man, 100%. He's had extra work done on his hand, on his tattoo, but you can clearly see the original underneath, right? 100%. After days of watching his routine, I approached Tawana Jamal and put our findings to him. Do the Home Office know your real identity, Tawana Jamal? Yes. The Home Office know that you're a convicted people smuggler? Smuggler? Yeah. I never am. The Tawana Jamal we saw convicted in France in 2016. OK. Why do you want to be in Britain? I've been here for a long, long time. Yeah, why? Why do you want to be in this country? Because I was not saved by my country and then I came to this country.

18:57This is you in France. I don't care. When was that? 2016. You know when that was. How many years ago? What are you doing with me now? Just in all honesty. Sweetie, if I did something, anything wrong, everyone knows that. I never did. You're driving round this city without a licence. So what? Did I hit you? The Home Office says that all asylum claimants undergo mandatory security checks to confirm their identity for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality. And it has a number of agreements with countries to enable the sharing of criminal record information. It says immigration enforcement action is at its highest level in history, with illegal working arrests up 83%.

19:42per cent. Tawana Jamal told me I could ask about his asylum claim, but he wouldn't say what name he used. And that was Sue Mitchell with that investigation. These days, most Western governments take or say they're taking a hard line on unauthorised or illegal immigration, make it tougher to claim asylum, be quicker to deport those who don't have the right to stay.

20:12The It launched an amnesty programme in April this year, offering legal residency and work rights to undocumented migrants. The window closed on Monday, and today the government announced the number of applications that it has received, which is a socking nearly 1.2 million. Guy Hedgeco is the BBC's Spain correspondent. Initially, when the government announced this initiative a few months back, it said that it was expecting only around half a million migrants to apply for this legalisation scheme. But there were some estimates by think tanks and other organisations saying that it was likely to be quite a bit higher just because of the number of undocumented migrants that were believed to be in Spain.

20:59And as it turns out, the number is much higher than the government had initially said. The government's told us that nearly 1.2 million migrants have applied for this. and around half of those are currently being processed so you'd expect those to go through and be approved. Well I was going to ask what the criteria are. The government has said that the criteria are to have lived in Spain for at least five months leading up to January of this year and to not have a criminal record either in Spain or in the migrants' home country. I suppose one thing that this underlines is there may be more undocumented migrants living in Spain than the government reckon with, because presumably, I mean, getting on from 1.2 million is a reasonable proportion of whatever Spain's population is.

21:50Yeah, I mean, Spain's population is around 50 million. And, you know, the country has seen a large influx of migrants, particularly since the turn of the century, in particular from Latin America, the vast majority of these who are requesting this of legalisation are from Latin America, but not just from Latin America, also from Africa as well. Migrants who arrived by sea, for example, to the Canary Islands and small boats and so on. And what's the government's argument behind this? I mean, is it saying this is the right thing to do in a sort of moral sense, a humanitarian sense? Or is it saying actually this could be economically beneficial for us?

22:29Well, it's saying both things. It's saying this is the right thing to do. But also, Spain's economy has been growing much faster than most of its European neighbours. And the data does actually show that a lot of that economic growth can be attributed to the foreign workforce. And the government saying we need more foreign workers. And if they are legalised, then they can pay taxes and they can contribute that much more efficiently to the economy. I think Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez quite enjoys this status that he's been creating for himself as this sort of big kind of left wing figure of Europe.

23:09And I think he sees this immigration issue as a way of mobilizing voters on the left and pointing to the political right and sort of labeling them as xenophobic and intolerant and also not making much economic sense. And that was our Spain correspondent, Guy Hedgeko. You're listening to News Air.

23:55your questions about this moment and what to expect in the years to come. From the BBC, it's the United States at 2.50. Listen to the global story on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

24:12Welcome back to NewsHour. Is the Earth's orbit about to be overrun with new satellites? And if so, what impact will that have on us? And also, more importantly, perhaps on the work of astronomers. A new report by the European Southern Observatory, which operates some of the world's biggest ground telescopes out of Chile, says there are plans on paper for more than 1.7 million new satellites in the coming years. SpaceX alone is talking about sending up a million orbital data centres, and those would have, according to the astronomers at the European Southern Observatory, devastating consequences for astronomy.

24:50Olivier Hinault is one of those astronomers at the ESO, and he's been telling NewsHouse James Menendez what it would mean for him. More satellite means more of them will cross our images, and each time one of them crosses an image, it leaves a bright trail that masks everything behind it. So one trail once in a while is not a problem. Many trails means that we start losing more and more and more data. and if it's in the millions then we would lose a significant fraction of our images. Fraction are we talking about? It depends how bright they are and if they are really bright that means that we could lose 100 % of our images.

25:35100 % really and so what are you proposing that there should be a limit on the number of satellites moving around in orbit? I worked out a number, 100 ,000 satellites, and the brightness that if we stay below that, astronomy can continue basically unaffected. What does it mean for people like me if there are that many satellites in orbit? I mean, would I notice the difference in the brightness of the night sky? If they are really bright, and now we are talking brighter than the moon, then the atmosphere scatters that light. It's exactly the same as the atmosphere scatters sunlight and make the sky blue.