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Turkish search and rescue teams have begun operations in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes struck the country's Yaracuy region, as the death toll from the devastating twin quakes rose above 1,400 on Saturday.
Teams from Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, or AFAD, and the Turkish Armed Forces arrived in La Guaira, one of the areas hit hardest by the earthquakes, and moved to La Paez neighborhood after receiving reports that survivors could still be trapped under the rubble of a collapsed 14-story building.
The teams began working at the site in coordination with Spanish search and rescue units already operating in the area, as foreign rescue teams continued to arrive in Venezuela and authorities pressed on with the search for survivors in coastal areas and parts of Caracas.
The Turkish deployment came after Türkiye sent search and rescue and humanitarian aid teams to Venezuela on two military aircraft following the two consecutive earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday evening.
The Turkish teams were dispatched to the La Paez neighborhood after reports that people could still be alive under the debris of the destroyed 14-story building.
Residents told rescuers that the building had 43 apartments and that 41 of them were occupied.
They also said people had previously been rescued alive from the rubble and that one person pulled from the debris had provided information about others still trapped under the collapsed structure.
AFAD and Turkish Armed Forces search and rescue teams continued their work at the site while coordinating with Spanish crews operating in the same area.
Türkiye sent search and rescue and humanitarian aid teams to Venezuela on two military aircraft after the earthquakes hit the Yaracuy region.
An A-400M military transport aircraft carrying teams and equipment departed from Istanbul Atatürk Airport on Thursday.
The response was prepared under the coordination of AFAD after Venezuela was struck by two consecutive earthquakes on Wednesday evening.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, National Defense Ministry, Health Ministry, the Presidency's Directorate General of Security Affairs, and other relevant institutions coordinated the preparations.
Developments in the region and urgent needs assessments are being closely monitored through the Foreign Ministry and Türkiye's Embassy in Caracas.
The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes rose above 1,400 on Saturday as foreign rescue teams poured into the country.
Officials said more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived and that additional teams were on the way, adding to the growing international response to the earthquakes and the hundreds of aftershocks that followed.
Rescuers spread across La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble.
In the hardest-hit areas, residents and volunteers have complained of limited heavy equipment and a limited official presence as search efforts continued.
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