Sheinbaum Sends Humanitarian Aid to Earthquake - Hit Venezuela, Reaffirms Mexico's Solidarity

President Claudia Sheinbaum held a phone conversation with Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, to express condolences to the victims of the devastating earthquakes that hit the South American nation, and to reaffirm Mexico’s support for the people of Venezuela.

“Mexico is already deploying humanitarian aid in the affected areas; we are attentive to additional needs. In difficult times, our nation stands in solidarity with brother countries,” she posted on her X account. 

During her daily morning press conference, Sheinbaum detailed the humanitarian aid deployed to Venezuela, which includes 250 military personnel from the National Defense’s “Yumare” Search and Rescue Group.  

The deployment consists of:

• 154  personnel from the Emergency Response Battalion (B.A.E.),  an elite unit of the Mexican Army responsible for locating, stabilizing and extracting people in situations of extreme risk.

• 18 canine search teams.

• 69 military health personnel.

• 5 personnel and one drone from the General Directorate of Social Communication of the Mexican Army.

• Two representatives of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.

• Three fixed-wing aircraft. 

• 10.7 tons of medical supplies, including first-aid kits.

• 8.4 tons of search and rescue equipment, including helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, flashlights, personal protective equipment, motorized cutters, electric power generators, search cameras. 

Meanwhile, Interim President Delcy Rodríguez commented in a Telegram post that, during her phone conversation with President Sheinbaum, she expressed her deep gratitude for the immediate deployment of Mexican rescue and humanitarian teams. Rodríguez confirmed that they have already arrived in La Guaira, the hardest-hit area, to join the search and rescue efforts. 

In the latest update on the situation, the death toll has risen to 920, with 3,360 injured. More than 4,000 people have been affected and 320 aftershocks have been registered, according to a televised message broadcast this afternoon by Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly.  

Photo: SEDENA