British and Israeli Teams Join Venezuela Earthquake Rescue

British and Israeli search and rescue teams reached Venezuela over the weekend to support recovery after two earthquakes struck the country last week. A Royal Air Force plane carrying 68 British personnel and equipment including sniffer dogs and drones left Brize Norton airbase on Friday evening. The British government also announced £2 million in humanitarian funding.

Specially trained dogs have been deployed to affected areas to locate survivors beneath collapsed structures. The animals work with human crews clearing rubble and allow teams to prioritize sites with the highest chance of finding people alive. An Israeli search and rescue delegation arrived separately to aid the same recovery effort.

The twin quakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude and struck seconds apart with an epicenter roughly 100 miles west of Caracas. The death toll has approached 1,000, and more than 52,000 people were listed as uncontactable on a missing-persons registry as of 21:00 BST Friday.

A state of emergency remains in effect. Airport, rail, and other transport services have been halted, and hospitals in the hardest-hit zones face shortages of critical supplies. >"My thoughts are with the people of Venezuela following this week's devastating earthquakes.

" — Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Friday (UK government statement) Hundreds of additional aid workers from multiple countries continue to arrive as search efforts persist.