Vietnam Airlines transports rescue team and humanitarian aid to Venezuela

Flight VN66 departed Noi Bai International Airport at 12:45 a.m. on June 29 aboard a wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft. After a technical stop at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, the flight continued to Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela, where it was scheduled to arrive at 12:10 p.m. local time on June 29.

In addition to the 124 personnel from Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of Public Security, the flight transported 10 search-and-rescue dogs along with 25 tonnes of specialized equipment, rescue gear and humanitarian supplies.

Two powerful earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela near the capital, Caracas, on June 24, causing widespread destruction across coastal communities.

According to preliminary figures released by the United Nations and international media, nearly 1,500 people have been confirmed dead, while thousands more were injured and tens of thousands remain missing or unaccounted for. UNICEF estimates that about 1.8 million people have been affected, including some 680,000 children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Hospitals have been overwhelmed, while electricity, water and transportation infrastructure have been severely disrupted.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 2,000 rescue personnel from around 40 countries, together with hundreds of search-and-rescue dogs and specialised equipment, have been deployed to support emergency operations.

Countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, along with the United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, have sent urban search-and-rescue teams, field hospitals, medical supplies, food and other humanitarian assistance. Experts describe the disaster as one of Venezuela’s worst earthquakes in decades, with economic losses expected to reach billions of US dollars as rescue and relief efforts continue.

Vietnam deploys military disaster relief team to earthquake-hit Venezuela

The Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam has decided to deploy an 82-member military humanitarian and disaster relief team to Venezuela to support search and rescue operations and post-earthquake recovery efforts following the devastating earthquakes that struck the South American country on June 24.