U.S. Deploys 2,000 Troops for Venezuela Quake Relief as Death Toll Tops 2,000
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jul 1
U.S. Deploys 2,000 Troops for Venezuela Quake Relief as Death Toll Tops 2,000
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jul 1
Summary
About 2,000 U.S. service members are operating on land, at sea and in the air around Venezuela, with Southern Command saying the mission is now centered on finding survivors seven days after the quakes.
Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 killed more than 2,000 people and injured over 10,000, narrowing the rescue window as crews search rubble for people still alive.
Some 310 U.S.-flown urban search-and-rescue specialists are already on the ground and have pulled out five survivors, while Army medical teams and Marine logistics units provide surgery, water purification and aid transport.
More than $300 million in U.S. humanitarian assistance has been committed, and embassy officials say debris removal, sanitation, water and power support will be a huge next phase once life-saving operations ease.
Gen. Francis Donovan said the deployment is larger than the U.S. response to last year's Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica but smaller than the 2010 Haiti earthquake mission.