Switzerland deploys rescue team to quake-hit Venezuela

Bern calls on the Swiss Rescue Chain to help Venezuela Keystone-SDA

Switzerland will send emergency aid to Venezuela, which has been hit by two powerful earthquakes that have claimed the lives of at least 160 people. The Swiss plan to deploy a team of 80 rescue workers, eight search dogs and 18 tonnes of equipment.

The Swiss Rescue Chain’s mission is to “search for, extricate and rescue victims buried under the rubble following the earthquake”, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) told Keystone-ATS on Thursday. As Venezuelan airspace is closed to most European airlines, arrangements are currently being made to organise a charter flight as soon as possible.

For the time being, the rescue team is scheduled to depart from Zurich Airport at 2:00 am on the night of Thursday to Friday, Dominik Stillhart, the government’s delegate for humanitarian aid, told Swiss public television RTS at 12:30. One runway at Caracas International Airport is reportedly still operational. Humanitarian staff are in close contact and coordinating with the Venezuelan authorities.

The Federal Council has expressed its sympathy to the victims and their families, as well as to the entire affected population. According to the FDFA, no Swiss victims have been reported at this stage, but checks are ongoing. To date, five Swiss travellers are registered on the Travel Admin app and around 1,000 people are listed in the Register of Swiss Abroad.

Staff at the Swiss Embassy are safe and sound. The mission remains operational but will be closed on Thursday for security reasons. Swiss nationals in the area are advised to follow the instructions of the local authorities.

The humanitarian aid group Caritas Switzerland has also announced that it has released CHF100,000 ($123,000) in emergency aid.

Translated from French, sub-edited by jdp