The United States military has airlifted an Argentine search-and-rescue team into Venezuela as part of a sweeping international relief operation following the devastating twin earthquakes that struck the South American nation on June 24, killing at least 1,450 people and injuring more than 3,150 others.

The Pentagon released photographs of US military aircraft transporting the Argentine rescuers, with US Southern Command describing the mission simply as “partnerships in action to save lives.”

The two quakes, a magnitude 7.2 tremor followed within seconds by a more powerful 7.5 struck Venezuela’s northern coastline in what seismologists described as the country’s strongest seismic event in over a century.

The capital, Caracas, bore the brunt of the destruction, with buildings collapsing across the city and sending thousands of residents fleeing into the streets. Early estimates from researchers at Oregon State University, drawing on satellite data, suggest that approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region.

The US response has been one of the most extensive mounted by any single nation. At the direction of Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, SOUTHCOM surged military assets into the region almost immediately, deploying five C-17 Globemaster aircraft, Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys, and Army CH-47 Chinooks. The amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale was also dispatched to the Port of La Guaira, where US Marines delivered humanitarian supplies and US Space Force provided satellite imagery to help relief planners identify where aid was most urgently needed. Marine Corps Major General Kevin Jarrard arrived in Caracas on the night of June 25 to oversee the military relief operation on the ground.

The airlift of the Argentine team added a notable dimension to an already complex operation the US military acting as a regional logistics hub, transporting allied rescue personnel into a country with which Washington had, until recently, maintained deeply adversarial relations.

Venezuela’s acting President, Delcy Rodriguez confirmed that Caracas had formally requested American assistance, a development that underscored the dramatic shift in ties between the two governments in the current political climate.

The humanitarian response has been genuinely global in scope. Colombia, France, Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands, Switzerland, India, China and dozens of other nations have dispatched rescue teams, medical personnel and emergency supplies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released $2.5 million in emergency funding, while Pope Leo XIV sent initial aid of 100,000 euros from the Vatican. Search operations remain ongoing, with Venezuelan authorities warning that the death toll could rise further as rescue teams continue to work through the rubble of La Guaira the coastal state worst affected by the disaster.

Venezuela’s already fragile economy and strained health infrastructure have added urgency to the international effort, with aid organisations flagging that the country’s long history of sanctions has complicated the flow of funds through international banking channels.