US sends 250 rescue workers and C-17 flights to Venezuela after earthquakes kill at least 1,430
After a double earthquake killed at least 1,430 people and left over 50,000 missing, the US dispatched 250 specialist rescue workers, C-17 cargo planes, and a Navy ship to Venezuela this weekend.
Devastating tremors
Two powerful earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday. The coastal city of La Guaira, adjacent to Caracas international airport, was among the hardest-hit areas, with countless buildings collapsed. The death toll, initially reported at 920, climbed to at least 1,430 by Saturday, while over 50,000 people remained missing. The airport itself suffered severe damage: one runway was described as "completely split and unusable," while the other was later repaired.
US humanitarian response
Washington moved quickly. On Friday it released $150 million in aid: $100 million through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and $50 million for Unicef and the World Food Programme. A Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) of more than 250 specialist rescue workers was deployed, along with C-17 military transport planes loaded with relief supplies. A senior US official said a second nine-figure contribution would be announced within a day or two.
- Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit northern Venezuela.
- US announces $150 million in humanitarian aid for Venezuela.
- Caracas runway reopens; 250 US rescue workers deployed; C-17 flights land; USS Fort Lauderdale positioned.
Caracas runway reopens
Early Saturday, a joint US-Venezuelan assessment team cleared one runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport.
With the airfield partially open, the aid pipeline accelerated.This morning at Simon Bolivar airport, one of the runways is operational again and receiving C-17s.
Now that the airport is open, we will intensify the delivery of humanitarian aid. Field hospitals are arriving today, we hope they can land.
Naval support and wider context
The US Navy vessel Fort Lauderdale has taken up position offshore to conduct helicopter operations, ferrying patients needing medical care and delivering supplies to stricken zones. The model echoes a similar US deployment to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa last October. While the Trump administration's rapid aid push unfolds against a backdrop of historically tense relations between Caracas and Washington, the immediate focus remains on search and rescue and emergency relief.
