According to the latest official figures, at least 5,546 people have died as a result of the earthquakes, while the number of injured stands at 16,740
EFE/14ymedio, Havana, June 208, 2026 / The Cuban teams of military personnel, doctors, and engineers who traveled to La Guaira (Venezuela) to help with rescue efforts and care for the population after the double earthquake in June have returned to the island, Cuban authorities reported this Monday.
On one hand, the army’s Rescue and Salvage brigade, made up of 18 members, was received in Havana by the Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera, the official outlet Cubadebate reported.
For its part, the Ministry of Public Health reported the return of a team of surgeons, forensic experts, and structural engineers, who were received in the Cuban capital by Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal.
The Ministry of Public Health reported the return of a team of surgeons, forensic experts, and structural engineers, who were received in the Cuban capital by Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal
The Cuban mission, partly made up of members of the Henry Reeve International Contingent, was officially seen off in Venezuela by the country’s president, Delcy Rodríguez, who thanked them for their technical, medical, and humanitarian support.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that shook northern Venezuela on June 24 have caused extensive damage to homes, economic assets, businesses, and other types of structures, as well as human losses, figures for which are still being updated.
According to the latest official figures, at least 5,546 people have died as a result of the earthquakes, while the number of injured stands at 16,740.
According to information released by the UN, at least 17 countries mobilized a total of 25 teams made up of about a thousand personnel for search and rescue tasks.
The spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, said that the first to deploy were teams from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United States.
A few days later, more professionals arrived from the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Jordan, the Netherlands, and Qatar.
As of today, most of the international teams have withdrawn, but some technical specialists remain in the field
As of today, most of the international teams have withdrawn, but some technical specialists remain in the field assessing infrastructure stability, water sanitation, management of temporary shelters, and mitigation of health crises.
Most of them come from the U.S., Spain, Mexico, El Salvador, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey. In addition, the largest group is made up of workers from United Nations agencies, both from evaluation and coordination programs and from the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, and the refugee agency UNHCR.
Lastly, the Red Cross also continues to keep international technical personnel deployed in water, sanitation, and psychosocial support for the ongoing care of those affected.
Translator’s note: Israel sent official military search-and-rescue teams, engineers, and multiple NGO medical and aid workers to help Venezuela. Curiously enough the spokesman for the UN Office omitted to mention that.
Translated by GH.
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