Operation Amistad: Indian aid reaches Venezuela after massive earthquake damage

India has sent humanitarian aid to Venezuela in the wake of the devastating earthquake that caused widespread destruction in the country.

India has sent a field hospital unit, medical personnel and humanitarian relief supplies to earthquake-hit Venezuela under Operation Amistad, as rescue teams continue to search for survivors amid mounting casualties and widespread destruction.

This assistance comes as Venezuela faces the effects of powerful earthquakes that have claimed the lives of at least 1,430 people. Tens of thousands are still missing more than three days after the disaster struck, as rescue teams race against time to find survivors trapped under collapsed buildings. The earthquakes have exacerbated challenges in a country already facing economic turmoil and political instability.

Announcing this development, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the relief package includes a field hospital unit, medicines, medical equipment and other essential supplies to support the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts.

“Indian aid arrives in Venezuela. We are confident that the field hospital unit, relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment will strengthen the ongoing post-earthquake relief efforts in the country,” Jaishankar wrote in a post on X.

The Indian Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire said in a statement that two C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force transited through Abidjan on their way to Venezuela carrying 35 tons of relief equipment, an Indian Army field hospital unit and two BHISHM cubes.

“The unit consists of 41 personnel, including nine doctors, and is equipped to provide emergency medical care, trauma management, life-saving surgical support and other essential health care services to those affected by the earthquake,” the statement added.

“The team is carrying nearly six tons of medical stores and humanitarian relief supplies provided by the Ministry of External Affairs,” the Indian Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire said.

India was one of the first countries to respond to the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, launching Operation Amistad to provide vital medical and humanitarian aid to the affected areas.

The mission, undertaken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlights India’s growing role in global humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and reflects its commitment to the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakkam principle, ‘The world is one family’.