US, Cuba, and Iran Join Global Rescue Effort After Venezuela Earthquakes

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on the evening of June 24, killing at least 164 people and injuring nearly 1,000 more. The quakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, making them the strongest to hit the country since 1900. They caused serious damage to the capital city of Caracas and many areas in northern Venezuela. Countries from around the world, including the United States, Cuba, and Iran, quickly offered rescue teams, supplies, and money to help.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would deliver a 'whole-of-government' response. He promised it would be 'big, fast, and effective.' Rubio made the announcement while visiting Bahrain and said the Department of Defense would handle a large part of moving supplies and people. This means the US military will play a key role in getting help to Venezuela quickly.

Several countries in Latin America also stepped up to help. Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba all offered support. Cuban health workers were already on the ground helping injured people, according to Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez. He said his country's medical teams were fully mobilised and providing medical services to the affected population.

European nations also sent major help to Venezuela. The Netherlands set aside about $2 million to send a rescue team with trained workers and dogs. Spain and France each promised to send dozens of rescue workers, and Germany pledged six military transport planes to carry supplies. Switzerland also said it would send emergency teams and rescue dogs to search for survivors.

Iran and China joined the international effort as well. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei announced that Iran was ready to give any assistance required in relief and rescue operations. China said it was prepared to send whatever Venezuela needed. These offers showed that countries with very different political views were willing to work together during the disaster.

Tom Fletcher, the United Nations' top humanitarian official, said specialist rescue teams were already headed to Venezuela. He called the worldwide response superb and praised the offers coming from the region and beyond. However, he warned that the days ahead would require a huge team effort. He said it was essential and urgent for the international community to keep supporting organizations working on the ground.

Venezuela was already in a serious humanitarian crisis before the earthquakes hit. According to the United Nations, about 7.9 million people — nearly 28% of the country's population of 28.5 million — were already in need of humanitarian help. Basic services like healthcare, clean water, education, and electricity had long been in short supply. The earthquakes made a difficult situation much worse.

Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, described the situation as a catastrophe on top of a crisis. He pointed out that more than a quarter of Venezuela's population needed urgent aid even before the earthquakes struck. The international funding plan to help Venezuela was already far behind, with only about $147 million of the $632 million needed actually delivered. Egeland called on donors around the world to act without delay and said more funding was needed immediately.