Vietnam's search and rescue team continued operations on July 1 (local time) in Playa Grande, La Guaira, Venezuela, according to information released by the Ministry of National Defence on July 2.
The area, where many high-rise buildings are located on steep hillsides, suffered extensive structural collapse following the twin earthquakes.
Major General Pham Van Ty, Deputy Director of the Rescue and Salvage Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and head of the Vietnamese mission, instructed team members to build on their progress and make every effort to complete their mission.
He said the deployment represented both Vietnam's international responsibility and its solidarity with Venezuela, emphasizing that rescue teams must continue racing against time in earthquake recovery operations.
At the disaster site, search dogs were used to identify locations where victims were believed to be trapped. Engineering teams then employed acoustic detection equipment and through-wall radar to pinpoint victims' locations before attempting to reach and recover them.
During the operation, search teams expanded their search areas after receiving requests for assistance from victims' families.
The medical team also provided emergency treatment and healthcare services to local residents at a temporary medical station in the affected area.
On July 1, the Vietnamese rescue team accurately identified 16 locations where victims were trapped.
Soldiers of Vietnam's search and rescue team make efforts to find victims
The team conducted recovery operations at nine of those sites, retrieving victims' bodies from the rubble and bringing the total number of victims recovered by the Vietnamese team to 23.
The remaining seven locations were handed over to local authorities and on-site emergency responders for further operations.
This marks the third time Vietnam has deployed military and police personnel, along with specialized equipment, overseas for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, following earthquake response operations in Türkiye in 2023 and Myanmar in 2025.
