Spain sends 54 UME rescue troops to Venezuela following earthquakes

This was announced by the Ministry of Defence in a post on X, in which it explained that the soldiers belong to Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), a team specialising in rescuing people during earthquakes and other disasters, and that they had previously been deployed to assist with other earthquakes, such as the one that struck Turkey in February 2023.

Meanwhile, during the afternoon, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, confirmed that the Spanish Consulate building in Caracas had suffered “significant damage”, whilst the Spanish Embassy building had also sustained minor damage. However, Albares stated that both buildings remain operational and available to the Spanish community in Venezuela.

Albares reported that the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) had deployed its field hospital and its logistics base in Panama to meet the needs of Venezuela.

The USAR team’s capabilities combine the use of specially trained search dogs with specific equipment such as rescue cameras and geophones.

Albares spoke to his Venezuelan counterpart, Yván Gil, to inform him that, alongside the 54 UME military personnel on board the Air Force aircraft, a team from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is also travelling to carry out “an initial assessment of humanitarian needs”.

Albares informed Gil that the convoy was transporting blankets, mats and water purification tablets as essential supplies. “The AECID has made all its resources available: the dispatch of supplies, funding and the START team’s field hospital,” said sources at the Ministry, whilst adding that both leaders would remain in contact to keep each other updated on needs and the necessary operations.

The minister rang Gil for the second time from the Dominican Republic, where he had stopped over on his way to Mexico, whilst accompanying King Felipe VI on his trip to attend the World Cup match between Spain and Uruguay.

Albares made an initial call to Gil before boarding the flight to offer Spain’s “full support” to Venezuela through the AECID and the UME. He also issued a message of solidarity “to the brotherly people” of Venezuela via his X account, stating that the AECID is ready to provide all necessary emergency aid, and provided two helpline numbers for Spanish nationals affected by the earthquake: one consular helpline run by the ministry itself in Madrid (+34 91 000 1249) and another at the Spanish Consulate in Caracas (+58 424-2090264).