Photo: Alamy
The U.S. military is sending additional personnel and equipment to Venezuela as the death toll from two powerful earthquakes continues to rise and tens of thousands of people remain missing.
U.S. Southern Command announced Saturday that it has deployed a specialized rapid response unit to assist Venezuelan authorities in restoring air traffic and airport operations in the hardest-hit regions.
“The Department of War is going to have play a logistical – big logistical role here, because they have the ability to land in challenging places,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, noting that Caracas’ main airport sustained damage during the earthquakes.
“One of the runways is cracked,” he added. “And so – but the Department of War has the capability to land in situations like that, so we’ll need that.”
SOUTHCOM also said a C-17 military transport aircraft is carrying two Miami-Dade County search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela to support efforts to locate survivors. Additional rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles are already participating in recovery operations.
The United States has launched what Rubio described as a “whole-of-government response” after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction.
According to The Associated Press, the death toll reached 1,430 on Saturday, while families reported approximately 68,900 people remain missing.
Rescue crews, joined by international teams, have been using heavy equipment, ropes, shovels, and their bare hands to search through collapsed buildings in some of the hardest-hit areas, including La Guaira state.
The State Department shared video Saturday showing an American search-and-rescue team pulling a crying infant from beneath a pile of concrete.
“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the department wrote. “Every life saved is a victory.”
oSOUTHCOM also announced that U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters are being positioned in nearby Curaçao to provide additional airlift support as relief operations continue. In addition, the U.S. Space Force is providing satellite imagery to disaster planners through SOUTHCOM to help identify the areas most in need of rescue operations and humanitarian assistance.
