Caracas, July 3, 2026 – The Europe Today: Vietnamese search-and-rescue teams continued their humanitarian operations in Venezuela on July 2 (local time), deploying multiple task forces to locate victims still trapped beneath the rubble after twin earthquakes struck the Playa Grande area in La Guaira state.
Responding to requests from victims’ families, the rescue teams expanded the search area and recovered seven additional bodies from collapsed buildings. They also coordinated closely with local authorities to identify and mark 12 locations where victims are believed to remain buried. With the latest recoveries, the Vietnamese mission has so far retrieved a total of 30 bodies from the disaster site.
Alongside the rescue efforts, a Vietnamese military medical unit continued providing free medical examinations and medicines to residents affected by the earthquakes.
Major General Phạm Văn Tỵ, Deputy Director of the Rescue and Salvage Department under the General Staff of the Việt Nam People’s Army (VPA) and head of the Vietnamese mission, said that General Nguyễn Tân Cương, Chief of the VPA General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defence, had sent a message praising the team’s professionalism, dedication and humanitarian commitment.
According to Maj. Gen. Tỵ, General Cương encouraged the mission to build on its achievements and continue carrying out its international humanitarian responsibilities, emphasizing that the operation reflects Vietnam’s foreign policy of international solidarity while enhancing the country’s reputation and standing in global disaster response. He also highlighted the enduring traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Venezuela.
On the same day, Maj. Gen. Tỵ led a Vietnamese delegation in meetings with search-and-rescue teams from Cuba and Türkiye. The meetings were attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Vũ Trung My, Vietnamese Defence Attaché to Venezuela Colonel Vũ Thế Trung, as well as officials from the Vietnamese Embassy and the Defence Attaché Office.
During the discussions, the Vietnamese delegation exchanged expertise with their Cuban and Turkish counterparts on addressing non-traditional security challenges, particularly earthquake response and disaster management. The Cuban delegation reaffirmed its pride in the longstanding fraternal solidarity and close cooperation between Cuba and Vietnam.
