The first Air Force aircraft has landed in Venezuela carrying the Italian teams involved in rescue and assistance operations for the population affected by the earthquake. This was announced by the Ministry of Defence, specifying that a second plane is already ready to transport other specialized personnel, fire brigade teams and self-supporting tents.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also took stock of the situation, explaining that the Italian firefighters and officials from the Farnesina crisis unit are already operational to coordinate interventions on site. The minister also highlighted the numerous offers of economic aid from Italian citizens, underlining however the need to organize them in conjunction with the competent authorities due to the difficulties related to security and access in the affected areas, some of which have been closed to prevent episodes of looting.
Tajani also announced that a second Boeing will leave in the evening with other firefighters and personnel specialized in first aid. The death toll still remains provisional and, the minister explained, it is difficult to have a definitive picture also due to the presence of a large Italian and Italian-Venezuelan community in the country.
Finally, the head of the Farnesina thanked the Crisis Unit, the firefighters, the doctors, the Civil Protection and all the staff involved in the rescue operations, reiterating Italy’s closeness to the Venezuelan population, also hit by a new earthquake.