India on Friday dispatched an army field hospital and more than 35 tonnes of relief supplies to Venezuela to help victims of two devastating earthquakes that killed nearly 600 people and injured thousands more.
Two C-17 heavy lift transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried the urgent assistance to support Venezuela’s post-earthquake relief efforts, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on social media. The Indian relief effort has been named “Operation Amistad”. Amistad means friendship in Spanish, the official language of Venezuela.
The assistance sent by India includes a field hospital unit of the Indian Army and more than 35 tonnes of relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment, Jaishankar said. The materials carried by the transport aircraft included two BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri) Cubes, which are modular medical emergency systems developed by the government. The cubes function as rapidly deployable mobile hospitals designed to save lives during the critical “golden hour” following a disaster.
“India is committed to support the Government and people of Venezuela in this difficult time,” Jaishankar said.
Officials said the personnel and equipment from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also airlifted by the IAF aircraft to assist in search and rescue operations.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on Friday that the death toll had risen to 589, and the number of injured to 2,980. The earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit a minute apart on Wednesday night. The second quake was the strongest to hit Venezuela since 1900. There have also been more than 200 aftershocks.
International rescue teams, including 80 Swiss rescuers, a team from El Salvador and a team of Mexican aid workers, have joined the search for survivors. The Netherlands has also sent a rescue team.
