Venezuelan Acting President thanks world leaders for assistance as earthquakes hit nation
Caracas, June 26
Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez on Friday thanked a host of world leaders who came forward in assistance as the nation was hit by powerful earthquakes.
Rodriguez thanked Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for his gesture of solidarity.
In a post on X, she said, "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."
She also announced that first rescuers from the Dominican Republic are already on their way to assist the Venezuelan people in the face of this terrible tragedy.
Rodriguez thanked President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Laura Fernandez, Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez for their support.
Sanchez sent rescue teams to provide all possible assistance to the Spanish community in Venezuela.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the US is deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles as earthquakes rocked Venezuela.
Rubio also said that he talked to 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," he said.
Two earthquakes have struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday, causing catastrophic damage to cities from La Guaira to the capital Caracas. As of Thursday, at least 188 deaths have been recorded, and thousands more have been reported injured, Al Jazeera reported.
— ANI
Reader Comments
It's heartening to see global cooperation in times of crisis. The US sending search and rescue teams from Fairfax and LA shows humanity transcends politics. But 188 deaths is tragic—prayers for Venezuela. 🙏
Dekhiye, Venezuela ka economic crisis toh pehle se hi tha, earthquakes ne aur halat kharab kar di. Marquito Rubio ka statement accha laga ki US help kar raha hai, par yeh bhi yaad rakhna chahiye ki America ka foreign policy hamesha apne interests ke according hota hai. Umeed hai ki relief work effectively ho.
Really sad to see the destruction in Venezuela. The coordination between US, Canada, Spain, and others is commendable. But let's also question why a country with so much oil wealth is in such a fragile state. Hope aid reaches the people quickly. 🇻🇪💔
Yeh tragedy dikhati hai ki natural disasters kisi ki nahi sunte. Delcy Rodriguez sahi kar rahi hain ki help accept kar rahi hain. Par mujhe thoda confusion hai—US aur Venezuela ke relations toh kharab the, ab Rubio ne personally baat ki? Yeh politics aside, insaniyat pe focus hona chahiye. 🌍
Impressed that the US is deploying search and rescue teams despite political differences. But let's not pretend this is altruism—America has always used humanitarian aid as leverage. Still, if lives are saved, that's what matters. Hope the airport
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.