International aid pours into Venezuela after deadly earthquakes

Technical and humanitarian assistance from more than a dozen countries has begun arriving in Venezuela following Wednesday's powerful earthquakes, as international rescue and recovery efforts intensify.

Since Thursday, rescue teams and specialized equipment have been deployed from countries including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Qatar, as well as from various United Nations agencies.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres pledged the UN's full support for rescue and recovery operations during a phone call with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday night.

According to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Friday, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $15 million for urgent life-saving assistance. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is also coordinating response efforts on the ground. In total, around 30 search and rescue teams have been deployed, involving more than 1,600 personnel and over 100 search dogs from multiple countries.

UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination teams, along with a four-member operational support unit, have also been mobilized, while additional OCHA staff are being deployed to strengthen coordination.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said that it has enough to feed more than 10,000 families for two months in Venezuela and the UN Children's Fund has allocated $1.5 million from its internal resources and $1 million from the Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding to support Venezuela, according to the spokesperson.

The death toll from the twin earthquakes has risen to 920, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said on Friday. Around 50,000 people remain missing, according to reports submitted through a dedicated online platform tracking unaccounted individuals.

OCHA said the quakes caused widespread destruction. At least 250 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, particularly in La Guaira state, about 30 km north of Caracas, which is the worst-affected area. Significant structural damage has also been reported in the capital and surrounding regions.

Critical infrastructure remains severely disrupted, including electricity, water supply, telecommunications and transport. Maiquetía International Airport remains closed due to damage. Hospitals are operating under mass casualty protocols, while shelters have been set up for displaced residents.

Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Friday that La Guaira state had been placed under military control to facilitate rescue efforts and ensure security.

"We want to tell everyone that La Guaira state is now fully militarized and fully under the control of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces," he said during a televised briefing.

(With input from Xinhua)