UK Sends 68-Person Search Team to Venezuela After Twin Earthquakes Kill Nearly 1,000

British specialist search and rescue teams have been deployed to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes struck the country seconds apart on Wednesday. The death toll from the disaster has risen to nearly 1,000, while tens of thousands of people have been displaced. The operation comes as international aid efforts intensify in the worst-hit areas.

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A Royal Air Force aircraft carrying 68 personnel and equipment, including sniffer dogs and drones, departed from Brize Norton airbase on Friday evening. The deployment is coordinated by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, with support from the Royal Air Force. The British government has also announced £2m in humanitarian funding for Venezuela.

The earthquakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and struck around 100 miles west of the capital, Caracas. Hospitals in the worst affected areas have been overwhelmed and are short of critical supplies. A website used to register missing relatives had recorded more than 52,000 people as uncontactable by 21:00 BST on Friday.

The scale of the disaster has created a major humanitarian emergency, with buildings levelled, transport links disrupted and large numbers of people left without homes. Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said 215 aftershocks had been recorded since the quakes. A state of emergency has been declared, and airport, rail and other transport services have been halted.

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Hundreds of aid workers have arrived or are travelling to Venezuela to support the search for survivors. The British team includes firefighters and specialists from across the UK, along with humanitarian, medical and security personnel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK stood in solidarity with those affected, especially people who had lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

The immediate focus remains on finding survivors and delivering supplies to communities cut off by the damage. It is still unclear how many people remain trapped or missing, and the casualty figures may continue to change as rescue work continues. The next developments are likely to centre on the pace of international assistance, the condition of hospitals and transport networks, and whether aftershocks further complicate the response.

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