Turkey sent a plane carrying search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Venezuela on Friday, which took off from Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport: a decision that follows the two devastating earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale that struck the northern coast of Venezuela yesterday, including Caracas, and which have so far caused at least 589 deaths and around 4,300 injuries, although the figures remain provisional.
According to Haluk Özener, the provincial director of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) in Istanbul, following news of the two consecutive earthquakes recorded yesterday in the Venezuelan state of Yaracuy, contact was immediately established with the relevant institutions and preparations began for the dispatch of emergency aid to Venezuela. Following discussions with the Turkish General Staff, an A-400M military transport aircraft was initially assigned to the operation.
“Our mission comprises 37 search, rescue and humanitarian aid personnel from AFAD based in Istanbul, Izmir and Denizli; a medical team of six members from UMKE (National Medical Rescue Team) of the Ministry of Health; a two-person team from the Turkish Red Crescent; two search and rescue dogs; and two vehicles fully equipped for these tasks. In addition, a 20-strong team from the Humanitarian Aid Brigade will also arrive in the area on another aircraft to be sent to Venezuela assigned by the General Staff. We are currently in contact with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our Embassy in Venezuela. If necessary, additional support in the form of personnel and equipment will be provided,” said Özener, as quoted by the Anatolia news agency.
The head of the Turkish humanitarian agency noted in this regard that this year Türkiye has carried out humanitarian aid operations in 11 countries, including Gaza, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan: “This figure stood at 16 countries in 2025. These kinds of humanitarian aid operations continue on an ongoing basis. We not only provide humanitarian aid, but also offer support with search and rescue teams in the event of natural and man-made disasters, in countries such as Japan, Haiti, El Salvador, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
“More search and rescue teams are ready to be sent to Venezuela”
After wishing the contingent deployed to Venezuela a safe journey and every success, Özener also announced that “many of our civil society organisations and search and rescue teams are currently on standby, awaiting further news. We will mobilise them as soon as a request is received”.
The aircraft carrying the Turkish search and rescue and humanitarian aid teams, which took off today from Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport, was due to arrive in Venezuela late this evening. According to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Health, the flight also carries a six-member UMKE team led by the head of the Department of Disaster and Emergency Management, specialist Dr Murat Genç, and comprising specialists in traumatology, orthopaedics and emergency medicine, with the aim of providing medical assistance in the affected area; along with this team, an Emergency Response Unit has also been dispatched, fully equipped with medical supplies commonly used in hospital A&E departments.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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