Syria has sent a team from the capital Damascus to participate in an international rescue mission for the first time in its history, following the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
According to Syria's official news agency SANA, a 15-member expert rescue team from the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management departed from Damascus International Airport on Saturday for Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
The operation is being carried out on the instructions of Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa and in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The team will participate in search and rescue efforts and deliver humanitarian aid to earthquake victims.
SANA described the mission as "a turning point in Syria's humanitarian aid history", emphasizing that the country has intervened in a disaster outside its borders with an international rescue team for the first time.
The Syrian team is equipped with individual equipment. Heavy equipment and vehicles needed for field operations will be provided by the international rescue team affiliated with Qatar's Internal Security Force. The two countries are acting jointly within the framework of humanitarian cooperation.
Two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing the collapse of numerous buildings in the capital Caracas and the states of Miranda, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcon. President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez announced on Friday that the death toll had risen to 920 and the number of injured to 3,360.
