US sends 900 troops to Venezuela earthquake zone; UK charities launch appeal as toll nears 2,000
More than 900 US military personnel are on the ground in Venezuela, joining international search-and-rescue teams after twin earthquakes killed at least 1,700 people and left tens of thousands missing.
US military footprint
General Francis Donovan, head of US Southern Command, told Reuters that over 900 personnel are inside Venezuela, with another 800 stationed in Puerto Rico and Curaçao. The forces have helped reopen the airport, flown in rescue teams, and deployed MQ-9 Reaper drones to map damage.
The deployment marks a sharp shift from January, when US forces raided Caracas to arrest President Nicolás Maduro.We're using some of the same assets we might use to track hemispheric threats to now ensure roadways are open and ensure that we know where the damaged buildings are.
Rescue efforts and the race against time
US urban search-and-rescue units from Los Angeles, Fairfax County, and Miami-Dade arrived about 48 hours after the June 24 quakes. They have pulled five survivors from rubble in La Guaira state, including a mother and her 9-month-old baby rescued over the weekend. Trey Espy, a task force leader, described collapsed buildings, no running water or electricity, and people "entombed for almost a week without food or water." Venezuela's legislature head Jorge Rodríguez said on Tuesday that only one survivor, a 3-year-old child, had been found on day six of the search.
- Magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes strike near Caracas, collapsing hundreds of buildings.
- US search-and-rescue teams from Los Angeles and Fairfax counties arrive, about 48 hours after the quakes.
- Fairfax County team rescues a mother and her 9-month-old baby from rubble in La Guaira.
- Death toll nears 2,000; UK Disasters Emergency Committee launches public appeal.
Equipment shortages hamper first response
In the critical first hours, residents dug with bare hands. Volunteer Samuel Hernández said rescuers lacked fiber-optic cameras, sound-detection gear, hydraulic lifters, and even proper flashlights.
Videos posted online showed people pleading for excavators to lift concrete slabs trapping survivors.Desperation is reigning because everyone wants rescuers at their specific location, but the rescuers know that without tools, they can't do anything.
UK charities launch appeal as disease fears mount
The Disasters Emergency Committee, a coalition of 15 UK aid agencies, opened an appeal on Wednesday. CEO Saleh Saeed said families are sleeping in makeshift tents and urgently need shelter, food, water, and medical care.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged the UK government would match public donations up to £2 million.Thousands of people in Venezuela have survived the unimaginable horror of two devastating earthquakes only to face the trauma of missing loved ones and finding their homes and neighbourhoods destroyed.
Health workers now warn of secondary crises. Susana Arroyo of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the water and sewage systems in La Guaira are destroyed, leaving bottled water as the only option.
Before the quakes, 7.9 million Venezuelans already faced critical shortages of food, water, and healthcare.The same applies to sanitation. The sewage system was destroyed, and access to toilets is limited, and in some areas, nonexistent.
International response and the road ahead
The United Nations is coordinating over 2,000 rescue workers from dozens of countries. A US Navy warship, the USS Fort Lauderdale, is docked off the coast. The death toll, officially near 2,000, is projected by the UN and US Geological Survey to reach 10,000. With thousands still missing and infrastructure in ruins, the humanitarian operation is expected to last months.
- Inside Venezuela
- 900 personnel
- Caribbean hubs (Puerto Rico, Curaçao)
- 800 personnel
