Rescue teams have pulled 33 survivors from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Caracas, as international search operations continue following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday. The operation, co-ordinated by British search and rescue specialists from the International Rescue Corps, has been described as “one of the most successful urban rescue missions in recent history” by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The earthquake, which struck at 2:03 PM local time, caused widespread destruction in the capital and the surrounding states of Miranda and La Guaira. According to Venezuela’s National Civil Protection Institute, at least 140 people have been confirmed dead and more than 500 injured. The collapsed building in the El Paraíso district of Caracas had housed approximately 80 families.
The British team, comprising 47 specialists from the UK Fire and Rescue Service and the International Rescue Corps, arrived within 12 hours of the disaster. They brought with them heavy lifting equipment, concrete cutters, and search cameras. Working alongside Venezuelan civil defence teams and firefighters from Colombia and Chile, the British contingent took charge of the most difficult quadrant of the collapse, where the building had pancaked into a narrow void.
“The structural complexity here demanded high-level engineering and cutting expertise,” said Commander James Thornton, the British team leader. “Our personnel have trained for these specific conditions. The survival of those 33 people is a testament to the co-ordination between international and local forces.”
The last survivor, a 15-year-old girl, was extracted after 42 hours, conscious but dehydrated. Medical teams from Cuba and Spain have set up field hospitals to treat the injured. The World Health Organisation has warned of potential disease outbreaks if water and sanitation systems are not quickly restored.
Britain’s contribution is part of a wider international effort that includes pledges of $15 million in emergency aid from the European Union and the deployment of a 60-person Japanese urban search and rescue team. The United States has offered assistance through USAID, but diplomatic tensions between Washington and Caracas have delayed formal acceptance. President Nicolás Maduro has accepted the British and European offers while publicly criticising the US.
Downing Street confirmed that Foreign Secretary David Lammy has spoken with his Venezuelan counterpart to offer further logistical support. “The UK stands ready to assist the people of Venezuela in their time of need,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said. “This is a humanitarian priority, not a political one.”
The earthquake has exacerbated an already severe humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, where water and electricity outages are common. International aid agencies estimate that 7 million people are in need of assistance. The rescue mission has provided a rare moment of international co-operation with the Maduro government, which is under sanctions from the UK, US, and EU.
Experts say the window for finding further survivors is closing rapidly. “The first 72 hours are critical,” said Dr. Elena Rojas, a disaster response analyst at the University of Oxford. “After that, survival rates drop sharply. But if any further voids exist, these teams have the equipment and expertise to reach them.”
Seismic aftershocks, including one of magnitude 5.4, have continued to hamper rescue efforts and spread panic among residents sleeping in the streets. The Venezuelan government has declared a state of emergency in affected states and warned of possible further structural collapses.
The British rescue mission is being hailed as a demonstration of soft power at a time when the UK is seeking to reassert its global humanitarian leadership. “We are showing that British expertise can save lives anywhere in the world,” said Commander Thornton. “Right now, that is what matters.”
