DAMASCUS: A specialized Syrian search-and-rescue team has arrived in Venezuela to join urgent international relief efforts following two powerful earthquakes in the South American country last week. More than 14 years of responding to the effects of a devastating civil war, as well as catastrophic earthquakes in 2023, have given Syrian first responders a rare level of field expertise in rescuing survivors from rubble and debris in complex situations.

Elite US rescue teams from Virginia, California and Florida are deploying to Venezuela after deadly earthquakes.

A team of 80 Swiss rescue specialists landed in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on Friday to help with rescue operations after two deadly earthquakes.