Key Facts
—The mission. US troops are racing to reopen the airport serving Caracas and the port of La Guaira so earthquake aid can reach survivors after the June 24 disaster.
—The numbers. Around one hundred US Air Force airmen are working on the airport, with about one hundred and thirty Marines sent to the shattered port.
—The irony. The operation is run by Southern Command, the same body that seized President Nicolás Maduro in a raid on Caracas in January.
—The toll. The twin quakes have killed about one thousand four hundred and fifty people and injured some three thousand more.
