"Colombia will send an elite search and rescue team to Venezuela following the earthquakes"

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Bogota.- Colombia will send a first contingent of 63 specialized rescuers to Venezuela this Thursday to support search and rescue efforts following the two earthquakes that shook that country on Wednesday, reported Javier Pava, acting director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), in a press conference.

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“We are going to take what is called a USAR team (Urban Search and Rescue), which has the ability to enter collapsed spaces and buildings, and has all the implements to rescue people trapped inside those buildings,” the official pointed out in Bogota at the end of a meeting of the National Risk Management System.
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The rescue team is made up of elite personnel from the fire department, Civil Defense, Red Cross, Police, and Army, specialized in urban search and rescue operations due to their training to operate in collapsed structures.

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You might be interested in: Death toll in Venezuela rises to 188 and 1,520 injured after two strong earthquakes

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Pava added that the group will travel accompanied by dogs and that the operation will have two military aircraft: a Hercules plane for transporting personnel and a C-40 intended to move cargo and specialized equipment.

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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Consulate of Colombia in Caracas remains closed due to structural damage caused by the earthquake, while inspections are being carried out to determine if it can reopen its services.

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The Vice Minister of Migration, Consular Affairs and International Protection, Paula Andrea Cerón, asked the relatives of Colombians in Venezuela to use exclusively the official channels enabled to report missing persons or request information, in order to centralize assistance.

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“We have enabled the email contactenos@cancilleria.gov.co, the line in Colombia (601) 382 6999, option 2; the toll-free line 01 8000 938 000; the toll-free line in Venezuela 0800 100 7214 and the WhatsApp of the Consulate of Colombia in Caracas +58 422 204 3032, so that all information regarding missing nationals or those requiring assistance can be channeled through official channels,” stated the official.
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The vice minister indicated that, so far, preliminary reports have been received regarding three possible missing Colombians under the rubble, although she clarified that there is still no official count.

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According to the consular registry, there are 239,652 Colombians registered in Venezuela, although the Foreign Ministry estimates that the Colombian community residing in that country could range between 850,000 and 1.5 million people, because consular registration is voluntary.

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