Swiss rescue team arrives in Caracas following the earthquake
Keystone-SDA
On Friday, 80 specialists from the Swiss rescue team landed in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. They aim to locate and rescue people affected by the earthquakes. The group arrived with 18 tonnes of emergency supplies.
According to a statement on the foreign ministry’s website, emergency teams began preparations as soon as they arrived, working closely with the Venezuelan authorities.
+ Switzerland deploys rescue team to quake-hit VenezuelaExternal link
The team’s task is to search the rubble for earthquake victims and bring them to safety. The Swiss government has allocated CHF1.5 million ($1.8 million) from its emergency aid fund to support the operation. Further assistance is also being considered, the foreign ministry said.
It added that, as of Friday, there was no information about any Swiss nationals among the victims.
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The powerful earthquakes struck late on Thursday, local time, just 39 seconds apart, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. Hundreds of people were killed.
By Friday, the death toll had risen to 589, with around 3,000 injured and many still missing.
Translated from German, sub-edited by sp
