Venezuela Hit by Devastating Earthquakes
Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday thanked a host of world leaders who came forward with assistance after powerful earthquakes struck the nation. The earthquakes caused catastrophic damage to cities from La Guaira to the capital Caracas, with at least 188 deaths recorded as of Thursday and thousands more injured, according to Al Jazeera.
Gratitude to Canada and Other Nations
In a post on X, Rodriguez thanked Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for his gesture of solidarity. She wrote, "I thank the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, for his gesture of solidarity toward our people. We appreciate the Government of Canada's willingness to prepare humanitarian assistance to support the Venezuelan population during these difficult times."
Rodriguez also announced that first rescuers from the Dominican Republic are already on their way to assist the Venezuelan people. She thanked President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Republic of Costa Rica Laura Fernandez, and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez for their support. Sanchez sent rescue teams to provide all possible assistance to the Spanish community in Venezuela.
US Deploys Search and Rescue Teams
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US is deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles. Rubio stated that he spoke with Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, and the US Department of War will use its assets on the site.
"I had an opportunity to talk earlier this morning with Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president. We're deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles. There'll be some others we'll add. That's the most immediate need right now is search and rescue efforts. They have much of collapsed buildings and so they'll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that. The airport there is badly damaged so we'll have to rely on the Department of War to deploy assets there. And then we're also helping them with some overhead imagery, especially in coastal areas where they don't have full visibility over what the damage has been and what the impact has been. Those are the acute, like, short-term needs over the next 48 to 72 hours because in search and rescue you're trying to get to people while you can still save their lives. They're buried under rubble," Rubio said.
Impact and International Response
Two earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction. The international community has rallied to provide aid, with multiple countries offering humanitarian assistance and rescue teams. The situation remains critical as search and rescue efforts continue in the affected areas.
