Mexico Sends Rescue Teams, Medical Personnel, and Search-and-Rescue Dogs to Venezuela Following Double Earthquake

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE) reported that the deployment was coordinated with the Ministry of National Defense, based on the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum, as a gesture of solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of the emergency.

The Mexican contingent is comprised of 261 personnel: 240 members of the Army, 11 from the Air Force, and 10 from the National Guard.

Among those deployed are doctors, nurses, paramedics, search-and-rescue specialists, as well as 18 canine search-and-rescue teams trained to locate victims trapped beneath collapsed structures.

The mission departed from Santa Lucía Military Air Base, located at Felipe Ángeles International Airport, aboard two Mexican Air Force aircraft bound for Venezuela.

In addition to specialized personnel, Mexico transported equipment, medicines, and relief supplies to support emergency response efforts in the affected areas.

According to Mexico’s National Seismological Service, the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, occurred just 40 seconds before a second magnitude 7.5 quake, leading the phenomenon to be described as an earthquake doublet.

The United States Geological Survey also identified the sequence as two major earthquakes occurring seconds apart and located the magnitude 7.5 earthquake near Morón, Venezuela, at an approximate depth of 10 kilometers.

In Venezuela, the Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs announced that the country would receive international rescue teams to assist with emergency operations after several governments offered humanitarian aid.

“In the coming hours, we will be receiving rescue teams from countries that have already contacted our government,” said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.

The emergency prompted a broad international response. Reuters reported that the United Nations deployed support teams and that countries across Latin America, Europe, and Asia began sending rescue workers, medical personnel, supplies, and logistical assistance.

The number of victims continued to be updated as rescue operations progressed.

According to the President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, the death toll has risen to 920, while the number of those injured has reached 3,360.

Subsequent international reports raised the death toll, although figures varied among sources as search operations continued and authorities verified the extent of the damage.

La Guaira has emerged as one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquakes, with severe damage to buildings and public services, according to reports from international media and Venezuelan authorities.

The Mexican Embassy in Venezuela also activated its consular assistance channels for Mexican nationals who might require support following the earthquakes. According to the official information available, no Mexican citizens had been reported among the victims.

The deployment of the Mexican mission adds to the international response to one of the most devastating earthquakes Venezuela has experienced in many decades.

According to the authorities of both countries, the priority is to support the search for survivors, provide medical care, and assist the affected population during the critical first hours following the disaster.

Source: Mexican Press Agency