Việt Nam's search-and-rescue team searching for earthquake victims on July 2 in La Guaira State, Venezuela. — VNA/VNS Photo

CARACAS — Việt Nam's search-and-rescue operation pressed on July 2 (local time), dispatching multiple task forces to find victims still trapped after twin earthquakes struck the Playa Grande area in Venezuela’s La Guaira state.

The forces widened the search zone following pleas from victims’ families, pulling seven more bodies from the rubble. They also worked with local authorities to identify and hand over 12 locations where victims are suspected to remain buried. The mission has so far recovered a total of 30 bodies from collapsed structures.

A Vietnamese military medical unit continued to offer free checkups and medicines to local residents.

Maj. Gen. Phạm Văn Tỵ, Deputy Director of the Rescue and Salvage Department under the General Staff of the Việt Nam People’s Army (VPA) and head of the mission, said Gen. Nguyễn Tân Cương, Chief of the VPA General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defence, sent a message commending the team’s dedication to relief operations in Venezuela.

A mother is thanking the Vietnamese search-and-rescue team for finding her daughter's body in the rubbles following the double earthquakes. — VNA/VNS Photo

Cương urged the mission to build on its achievements and keep fulfilling its noble international duties, saying that the effort vividly reflects the Vietnamese Party and State's foreign policy while lifting the country’s reputation and standing in global disaster response. He also underscored the strong traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Venezuela.

Also on the same day, Tỵ led a Vietnamese mission to meetings with search and rescue teams from Cuba and Türkiye. Also present were Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Vũ Trung My, Vietnamese Defence Attaché to Venezuela Col. Vũ Thế Trung, and staff from the Vietnamese Embassy and Defence Attaché Office.

The Vietnamese side shared experience in tackling non-traditional security challenges with their Cuban and Turkish counterparts, focusing on earthquake response. The Cuban side expressed pride in the fraternal solidarity with Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS