Vietnam's search and rescue mission is continuing relief operations in Playa Grande, La Guaira State, one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela.
The district, where many high-rise buildings stand on steep hillsides, suffered extensive structural collapse following the country's most destructive earthquake disaster in more than a century.
The Vietnamese team has accurately identified 16 locations where victims were believed to be trapped. Rescue personnel have completed operations at nine sites, successfully recovering victims' bodies and bringing the total number of victims located by the team so far to 23. The remaining seven sites have been handed over to local authorities and on-site rescue forces.
Military engineers and search dogs locate areas showing signs of trapped victims. Photo by People's Army NewspaperRescue operations continue at the disaster site. Photo by People's Army Newspaper.
Working in extremely challenging conditions, personnel from the Vietnam People's Army and the Ministry of Public Security have maintained close coordination. Equipped with specialized rescue equipment, the teams have been divided into multiple units to continue searching for those still trapped beneath the rubble as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Search dogs are deployed first to identify locations where victims may be buried inside collapsed structures. Military engineers then use acoustic detection equipment and ground-penetrating radar capable of scanning through walls to pinpoint the exact location before carefully accessing the site and recovering the victims.
Major General Pham Van Ty, Deputy Director of the Rescue and Salvage Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and head of the Vietnamese mission, urged team members to continue "racing against time" while upholding their sense of responsibility, international humanitarian commitment, and solidarity with the people of Venezuela.
Members of the Vietnamese rescue team coordinate with local rescue forces at the search site. Photo by People's Army Newspaper.
Earlier, on June 30, the Vietnamese team recovered 13 victims from beneath collapsed buildings.
The mission has also delivered humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, including 35 tonnes of emergency rations, 60 medical supply kits, two tonnes of canned meat, four generators, 500 tents, 10 large field shelters, and 50,000 rolls of medical bandages.
Venezuela's Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has declared seven days of national mourning in memory of the earthquake victims.
As of July 1, the two earthquakes that struck on June 24 had claimed 2,295 lives and injured 11,267 people. More than 4,000 domestic and international rescue personnel and volunteers have rescued 6,461 survivors.
Since June 24, Venezuela has recorded 782 aftershocks, although both their frequency and intensity have gradually declined.
According to United Nations estimates, around 50,000 people remain unaccounted for. In La Guaira, the area north of Caracas that suffered the most severe destruction, most collapsed buildings have now been marked with the letter "D" - short for "deceased" - indicating that search teams have completed operations and found no remaining signs of life.
Vietnamnet.vn
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