A mother has died while rescuing her daughter from a collapsed building in Caracas, as British charities mobilise an emergency airlift to deliver medical supplies to the crisis-stricken nation. The incident occurred on Tuesday when a residential block gave way in the Petare district, one of the city’s most impoverished neighbourhoods. Witnesses reported that the woman, identified as Maria Gonzalez, 34, pushed her six-year-old daughter to safety before being trapped under rubble.
The child survived with minor injuries. The death underscores the toll of Venezuela’s deepening humanitarian crisis, which has seen the collapse of infrastructure and basic services. In response, three British charities – including the British Red Cross, Medical Aid for Palestinians, and Save the Children – have coordinated an airlift from London Stansted, scheduled to depart on Thursday.
The cargo includes 20 tonnes of antibiotics, surgical equipment, and oral rehydration salts. This operation marks the first joint British charity airlift to Venezuela since 2021. Venezuela’s health system has been in a state of advanced decay, with shortages of medicines and power outages affecting hospitals.
The charity coalition, operating under the banner of the Venezuela Humanitarian Response Initiative, aims to bypass bureaucratic hurdles by working directly with local medical networks. A spokesperson for the British Red Cross stated that the airlift was ‘a lifeline for thousands facing preventable deaths’. The Foreign Office has expressed support for the initiative but stressed that it does not constitute official bilateral aid due to the Maduro government’s unresolved political crisis.
The incident has reignited debate in Britain about the limits of soft power in addressing humanitarian emergencies without enabling authoritarian regimes. For now, the focus remains on the immediate needs of vulnerable populations. The airlift is expected to arrive in Caracas by Friday, pending clearance from Venezuelan authorities.
