Indian aid reaches quake-hit Venezuela

An Indian disaster relief team that rushed to Venezuela to help with earthquake relief work has set up camp and operationalized a field hospital in the capital.

The Indian Embassy in Venezuela said a medical team has been set up at the International La Rinconada Racetrack in Caracas.

At least 1,450 people have died since two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela last week, with rescue teams racing to find survivors.

Two Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft transported 66 tons of aid, including the army field hospital and over 35 tons of relief supplies, to Caracas in Operation Amistad.

The supplies include two BHISHM cubes – state-of-the-art, modular field hospital and trauma care systems designed for rapid disaster response, with medical essentials to treat up to 200 people.

The cubes were previously deployed to Ukraine, Jamaica, and other sites of disasters.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal shared a tweet of the Venezuelan vice health minister and head of government of the Capital District of Venezuela visiting the field hospital.

The IAF said the planes flew 23 hours, covering a distance of over 14,000 km from New Delhi to Caracas. “This transoceanic deployment reaffirms India’s growing role as a responsible first responder and a reliable humanitarian partner,” it said.

India’s ties with Venezuela received a boost recently when acting President Delcy Rodriguez visited New Delhi earlier this month to develop energy trade between the two countries.