MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Offers of aid pour in for Venezuela from across the Americas and beyond after its earthquake

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his “concern and dismay” and instructed his Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Caracas to assess assistance measures

Governments from across the Americas and other regions of the world expressed solidarity with Venezuela and offered assistance after the twin earthquake of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that struck the north-central part of the country on Wednesday and that, according to the first official toll, left at least 32 dead and more than 700 injured. Several countries announced the dispatch of rescue teams, while acting President Delcy Rodríguez thanked them for the shows of support.

Among the South American neighbors, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his “concern and dismay” and instructed his Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Caracas to assess assistance measures. Ecuador's leader, Daniel Noboa, ordered the immediate dispatch of humanitarian aid and held that, “despite our enormous differences, humanity must always guide a leader's actions.” Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi made himself available to the Venezuelan government and activated his consular section to assist resident Uruguayans, while Panama's José Raúl Mulino offered humanitarian aid to the “brotherly” country.

The United States, whose relationship with Caracas changed drastically after the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro in January, was among the first to react. President Donald Trump said his country stands “ready, willing, and able to help” and instructed all government agencies to act quickly. The State Department activated a task force to coordinate the dispatch of search-and-rescue teams and medical supplies.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, until recently at odds with the Chavista government, announced the dispatch of 300 rescuers and wrote: “Stay strong, Venezuela.” In all, according to Venezuelan authorities, rescue teams from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Qatar and the Dominican Republic will arrive in the coming hours. Several of the countries that offered help had until recently maintained strong political differences with the Venezuelan government.

From outside the region, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences and said his country was willing to provide “all possible help”; Rodríguez had visited New Delhi in early June. Rodríguez thanked, in a broadcast on the state channel, the support of governments that “reached out to Venezuela to offer solidarity,” a list that, she said, also includes the UN and other countries. The quake, one of the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, was felt as far away as the Brazilian Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers from the epicenter, located in Yaracuy state. Rescue efforts continued in the coastal state of La Guaira, the hardest hit, where Rodríguez warned that the casualty toll would rise.