June 26 (Reuters) - Rescuers, cash and other emergency aid are arriving in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes shattered areas in and around the capital Caracas and left thousands missing.
Here are details of foreign help:
UNITED NATIONS
The U.N. humanitarian affairs body said 25 international teams had been mobilized with 1,000 personnel in total.
“The coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities,” said aid chief Tom Fletcher.
UNITED STATES
The U.S. State Department said it is mobilizing $150 million in aid. That included $50 million in new 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.
The U.S. military is helping transport supplies and personnel as well as support other relief operations.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
A rescue team sent by the Dominican Republic was the first international aid to arrive in the disaster-stricken state of La Guaira, joining the Venezuelan forces there.
With no power in the region, rescue workers used flashlights, sound equipment and specialized gear to search for people in collapsed buildings, a senior officer of the Dominican Air Force told local media.
EL SALVADOR
Over 150 rescue workers and supplies arrived in Venezuela from El Salvador in the early hours of Friday, as part of the 300 rescue workers and paramedics, along with 50 tons of medical supplies, pledged by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
MEXICO
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez posted footage of Mexican soldiers and sniffer dogs arriving.
Mexico is initially sending 250 military rescue personnel, five rescue dogs, four aircraft, a drone, rescue equipment and medical supplies.
SPAIN
A plane carrying 57 soldiers from the Spanish search-and-rescue unit UME and 40 firefighters from the Madrid region arrived in Venezuela, while the government allocated €1 million ($1.14 million) in emergency aid.
“Canine units trained in search and rescue are expected to play a crucial role in the areas hardest hit by the twin earthquakes,” the ministry of defense said on X.
SWITZERLAND
In the state of Aragua, 80 rescue workers and 18 metric tons of supplies arrived from Switzerland.
RED CROSS
The first 17 tons of humanitarian supplies are leaving the International Federation of the Red Cross’ regional humanitarian hub in Panama for Venezuela on Friday.
“The cargo includes kitchen sets, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, and other essential items,” said Loyce Pace, the Americas Regional Director for the IFRC.
INDIA
Two air force planes took off for Venezuela carrying a field hospital and over 35 tons of relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.
GERMANY
A German federal disaster relief team with 48 members is deploying to Venezuela on Friday to assist with rescue and recovery operations.
POPE LEO XIV
Pope Leo has sent €100,000 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 his team had begun distributing meals in Caracas. He also said his Longer Tables Fund will immediately contribute $1 million to help Venezuela.
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.
PANAMA
Panama said it will send a rescue mission to Venezuela and is organizing humanitarian aid.
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.
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 = 0.8772 euros)
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Compiled by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez in Barcelona, Cassandra Garrison and Fabiola Aramburo)
