June 25 (Reuters) – Governments and humanitarian organizations worldwide have begun sending cash, rescue teams and other aid to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday killed at least 188 people and left more than 1,500 injured, with casualties expected to rise.
The back-to-back quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and striking roughly 160 km (100 miles) west of the capital Caracas, damaged at least 250 buildings and left about 200 people trapped in debris, according to the latest figures.
U.N. HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE
U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said the humanitarian affairs office was coordinating deployment of international urban search-and-rescue teams.
“The coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities,” he said.
Some 8 million people in the country required humanitarian aid even before the quake, he added, and the disaster could make them more vulnerable.
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
The U.S. State Department said it is mobilizing $150 million in humanitarian aid for Venezuela. That included $50 million in new bilateral funding for partners such as the U.N.’s World Food Programme and nonprofit organization International Medical Corps and a $100 million contribution to a U.N. pooled fund.
Washington is also sending a disaster response team with two urban search-and-rescue units, while providing airlift, logistics and coordination support to move personnel and life-saving supplies into affected areas, the State Department said.
“That’s their most immediate need right now, is search and rescue efforts,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier told reporters.
The U.S. military is helping transport supplies and personnel as well as support other relief operations.
POPE LEO XIV
Pope Leo has sent €100,000 ($114,000) to Venezuela for quake relief from the Vatican’s charity fund, Vatican media reported.
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
Chef Jose Andres, founder of the humanitarian meal provider World Central Kitchen, said on Thursday his team had begun distributing meals in Caracas. He also said on X that his Longer Tables Fund will immediately contribute $1 million to help Venezuela.
EL SALVADOR
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on X that 300 rescue workers and paramedics were prepared to travel to Venezuela, along with 50 tons of medical supplies.
MEXICO
A team of rescue workers and medical personnel left for Venezuela on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.
Mexico is sending 250 military rescue personnel, five rescue dogs, four aircraft, a drone, rescue equipment and medical supplies.
COLOMBIA
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said it had mobilized an urban search-and-rescue team of more than 60 people, four dog teams, and 12 metric tons of equipment for Venezuela.
Nine firefighters from the city of Cali were going to assist with search-and-rescue efforts, the mayor said.
ECUADOR
Ecuador plans to send a rescue team to Venezuela on Thursday, consisting of 46 urban search-and-rescue specialists, two search dogs and six metric tons of equipment, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
PANAMA
Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said the country will send a rescue mission to Venezuela and is organizing humanitarian aid.
Mulino said authorities have also opened collection points for donations to be sent to Caracas as part of the country’s assistance response.
FRANCE
France said it is deploying an urban search-and-rescue unit to Venezuela including medical teams, engineers and dogs to help locate and extract survivors from collapsed buildings.
SPAIN
The Spanish defense ministry said a military plane would bring 57 soldiers from its search-and-rescue unit and 40 firefighters from the Madrid region to Venezuela. Spain’s development agency also plans to set up a field hospital in Venezuela.
ITALY
Italy’s civil protection agency said it was sending an advance team to Venezuela while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said firefighters, the ministry of defense and the air force were mobilizing to offer help.
($1 = 0.8792 euros)
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Compiled by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez in Barcelona; Additional writing by Cassandra Garrison and Fabiola Aramburo, Editing by Edmund Klamann and Cynthia Osterman)
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