Earthquakes in Venezuela: Swiss Rescue operations conclude, humanitarian aid continues
Bern, 02.07.2026 — In Venezuela the death toll from the two powerful earthquakes continues to rise. The destruction is extensive. Having worked since last Friday to free people trapped in the rubble, Swiss Rescue personnel have concluded their mission and are returning home. Switzerland is continuing to provide emergency aid and is sending specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit to assist survivors.
One week on from the disaster, the death toll from the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela is still rising. The authorities have recorded more than 1,450 deaths, 3,150 people injured, and more than 12,700 families affected. According to figures from the United Nations, 50,000 people are still missing. At least 2,500 facilities have been damaged, including 38 hospitals and more than 700 other buildings. Search and rescue teams were dispatched by nearly 30 countries, including Switzerland.
End of rescue operations
Having arrived in Venezuela last Friday, in coordination with the local authorities Swiss Rescue set up its operational base in La Guaira, a coastal city among the areas hardest hit by the disaster. The Swiss Rescue contingent comprised 80 specialists, including 22 military personnel from the Engineer/Rescue/NBC Training Unit and the disaster relief battalion, and was accompanied by eight dogs. It was one of the first non-Latin American teams to reach the devastated areas.
Swiss rescue workers took shifts day and night amid high temperatures and humidity to rescue people from the rubble. Sadly, they only found the bodies of the deceased. With the critical first 72 hours after the disaster having passed, and after a week of non-stop search operations, Swiss Rescue concluded its mission on Wednesday evening and returned to Switzerland on Thursday.
Humanitarian aid continues
Switzerland is continuing to provide support to survivors of the disaster. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), is deploying specialist personnel from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit. The five-strong team will leave for Venezuela this evening to assist the authorities there. The focus is on access to drinking water and on sanitation at the sites housing survivors of the earthquakes. The Swiss embassy in Caracas is in close contact with the local authorities to coordinate Switzerland's humanitarian aid.
The SDC will allocate a total of CHF 2.5 million to meet the needs of the people affected by the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela