Government may send third search-and-rescue plane to Venezuela

Portugal could send a third military aircraft carrying search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela as relief efforts intensify following the devastating earthquakes that have claimed nearly 1,000 lives, Internal Affairs Minister Luís Neves has said.

Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of Portugal’s National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) in Lisbon alongside European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Neves said additional Portuguese personnel were ready to deploy if requested.

“There is that possibility, probably yes,” he told journalists when asked whether another aircraft could be sent following Friday’s departure of two Portuguese Air Force KC-390 transport planes.

“The Azores also want to help and have personnel available, but everything has to be coordinated with the Venezuelan authorities,” he said, adding that it was more important to deploy well-organised resources that could operate effectively than to send teams unable to carry out their mission.

The two aircraft departed from Beja Air Base on Friday carrying around 64 specialist personnel as part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

The contingent includes 27 members of the National Republican Guard (GNR), 15 firefighters from the Lisbon Fire Brigade Regiment, 10 specialists from Portugal’s National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and 11 members of ANEPC.

Deputy National Commander José Ribeiro said the team had extensive experience in international earthquake response operations.

Meanwhile, Madeira’s Regional Government has confirmed it is prepared to deploy a further 18 emergency responders to join a joint Portuguese task force that will also include personnel from the Azores.

The Madeiran contingent comprises six members of the Regional Civil Protection Service, 11 firefighters and one emergency doctor from the Rapid Medical Intervention Team (EMIR). Officials said the force would be fully self-sufficient for an estimated 12-day mission, with its own accommodation, food, water, communications, medical support and operational equipment.

During Friday’s visit, Metsola stressed the vital role national civil protection agencies play in Europe’s disaster response capabilities.

“It is in moments like these that we see how European programmes such as the European Civil Protection Mechanism depend fundamentally on national units such as ANEPC,” she said, describing the visit as particularly timely following the disaster in Venezuela.

Portugal is among eight European Union countries sending search-and-rescue teams to support the emergency response.

According to the latest official figures, the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday have killed at least 929 people and injured more than 3,360. At least 28 Portuguese nationals or people of Portuguese descent are among the dead, while a further 85 remain missing. The United Nations estimates that more than 50,000 people are still unaccounted for.

The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck less than a minute apart around 200 kilometres from Caracas and were followed by more than 20 aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey. Dozens of buildings collapsed or suffered severe damage in Caracas and the neighbouring La Guaira region.

Venezuela is home to one of the world’s largest Portuguese communities, with an estimated 1.2 million Portuguese nationals and people of Portuguese descent, many with family roots in Madeira, Aveiro and Porto.

Source: Lusa