The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, confirmed this Friday the deployment of a large-scale humanitarian mission to Venezuela, with six planes loaded with machinery, equipment, and supplies to assist in search and rescue efforts following the devastating earthquakes on Wednesday, June 24.
In his posts on X, Bukele reported that the third plane had already landed in Venezuela and the fourth was on its way. "We continue to strengthen this mission. God bless Venezuela," wrote the Salvadoran president.
An hour earlier, he announced on X the arrival of the second plane and clarified the total scope of the operation: "In total, we will send 6 planes as part of this humanitarian mission in support of our Venezuelan brothers."
The mission includes 300 rescuers and 150 tons of equipment and supplies. Bukele expanded the operation—which originally included fewer aircraft—upon realizing that the needs on the ground exceeded expectations.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, confirmed the arrival of the first 188 Salvadoran rescuers along with supplies and publicly welcomed them.
“El Salvador, welcome to Venezuela! A total of 188 rescuers from El Salvador have arrived in our country, along with supplies, to join the efforts of searching, rescuing, and assisting the families affected by the tragedy on June 24,” was published on X.
This Friday, Rodríguez updated the official toll of the tragedy: 589 deceased, 2,980 injured, and 214 aftershocks recorded since the earthquakes occurred, figures that represent a significant increase compared to the reports from the previous day.
The two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday at 6:04 PM, with only 39 seconds between them and epicenters located in the states of Yaracuy and Carabobo.
The shallow depth of the earthquakes—only 10 kilometers—greatly amplified their destructive power, making these seismic movements the most powerful recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
The state of La Guaira has been declared a disaster zone, with dozens of buildings collapsed in Macuto and Caracas. The Maiquetía International Airport suffered serious structural damage, with at least one runway cracked, complicating the logistics of international aid.
The Salvadoran mission is part of an unprecedented international response.
The United States committed 150 million dollars in humanitarian assistance and deployed urban search and rescue teams, while Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Ecuador, and the United Kingdom also provided support.
Bukele's deployment is particularly significant given the diplomatic history between the two countries: El Salvador and Venezuela expelled diplomats from each other in November 2019, but normalized relations after Nicolás Maduro's fall and Rodríguez's assumption of the presidency in January 2026.
The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the critical window to locate survivors beneath the rubble is between 48 and 72 hours, making each hour a crucial factor for the dozens of people still trapped.
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