Vietnam rescue team recovers 54 bodies after 5 days of earthquake response in Venezuela

The Vietnamese rescue mission in Venezuela said on Sunday afternoon that the team was divided into multiple units on the fifth day of field operations, carrying out search and rescue missions at different times throughout the day.

To ensure no valuable information was missed during the search, the team organized round-the-clock shifts, with one unit departing for operations as another returned to base.

At around 3:00 am local time, after receiving information that a victim showing signs of life was trapped under the debris, the rescue team from Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security immediately headed to the scene.

The site was the Orion building on Playa Avenue in Carabello neighborhood, Guaira State, which had nearly completely collapsed in the earthquakes.

Despite difficult terrain, the Vietnamese rescuers used ground-penetrating radar and appropriate mechanical equipment to reach the victim.

After more than five hours of searching, the victim was found dead. 

During the recovery of one body, a member of the Venezuelan rescue team became dizzy after inhaling decomposition gases.

Captain Pham The Hung, an officer from Vietnam's fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue police force, promptly assisted the Venezuelan rescuer.

On July 4, the Vietnamese team recovered nine bodies from the rubble.

In addition to search and rescue work, the Vietnamese team has also taken time to assist local residents facing difficulties in areas near its operation sites.

The mission will continue search and rescue efforts as planned on Monday.

Two magnitude-7.2 and magnitude-7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela seconds apart on June 24, causing devastating casualties and widespread property damage, with La Guaira being the hardest-hit state in the country.

On Saturday, the Venezuelan government raised the official death toll to 2,954 and said nearly 30,000 officials have been deployed alongside 3,281 international rescue workers to help people affected by the quakes.

More than 16,000 people are homeless, according to official figures. Some are living in official shelters and others in tent encampments. An unofficial but widely used tally of the missing stands at just over 41,000, according to a Reuters report on Sunday.

On June 28, Vietnam deployed a 124-member rescue contingent from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security, along with 10 search dogs and dozens of tonnes of relief supplies, to assist Venezuela’s earthquake response.