On June 27, three days after Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes, one runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas reopened to traffic and began receiving U.S. C-17 military transport planes carrying humanitarian supplies. U.S. officials stated field hospitals would arrive in successive batches, with Washington ramping up the delivery of disaster relief materials.
Caracas Airport Resumes Operations for Relief Deliveries
On June 27, three days after Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes, one runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas reopened to traffic and began receiving U.S. C-17 military transport planes carrying humanitarian supplies. U.S. officials stated field hospitals would arrive in successive batches, with Washington ramping up the delivery of disaster relief materials.
Breakdown of U.S. Humanitarian Aid Package
The United States previously pledged $150 million in relief funding for Venezuela’s earthquake crisis. Of the total sum, $100 million will be channelled through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), while the remaining $50 million is allocated to UNICEF, the World Food Programme and other humanitarian agencies. Washington has also dispatched roughly 250 professional rescue personnel and deployed the USS Fort Lauderdale to conduct helicopter missions evacuating the injured and transporting supplies to affected zones.
Casualty Situation Remains Grim
The twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale have killed 920 people, with approximately 50,000 individuals still listed as missing. Rescue teams continue to locate survivors trapped beneath rubble across the disaster-hit regions.
