The U.S. has unloaded a shipment of aid from China at Simón Bolívar Airport in Venezuela, marking the country's first aid flight since the devastating earthquakes struck last month.
Photos provided by the U.S. government show an Air China plane landing at the airport on July 6, nearly two weeks after the quakes hit on June 24. The supplies from the Chinese government were then taken off the aircraft by U.S. soldiers, who have been leading the disaster response and aid distribution efforts.
"We continue to deliver on that commitment," said a State Department spokesman in a statement. "While some countries say they'll deliver aid — weeks after natural disasters occur — America shows up, unloads the aid and ensures that assistance reaches the hands of those who truly need it thanks to our close coordination with the Department of War and the great public-private partnerships our Department has spearheaded."
The U.S. has moved more than 1.5 million pounds of assistance into Venezuela since the earthquakes struck, according to the State Department. A big part of that was repairing Simón Bolívar Airport, which sits just outside the capital city of Caracas after its runways were seriously damaged in the natural disaster.
One runway is operational at the airport, and one of the first American flights into the airport was carrying forklifts to help get supplies unloaded off future flights, according to the State Department official.
A leading nonprofit organization, Global Empowerment Mission, has shipped nearly 1 million pounds of aid to Venezuela, including over 38,000 hygiene kits, more than 27,000 tents and tarps, and 48 generators, according to its website.
The organization's founder and President said delivering aid to Venezuela now is a "whole different animal" compared to when he tried to send supplies during the reign of Nicolás Maduro. Maduro, who was captured and deposed during a U.S.-led raid in January, did not allow the organization into the country.
The State Department said that the U.S. government has committed more than $386 million in financial assistance to Venezuela flowing through trusted partner groups. China also committed $14.72 million in financial and material aid to the country in late June.
As of Tuesday, 4,734 people have died from the earthquakes, according to figures released by the Venezuelan government. Additionally, there are at least 16,740 people injured, while nearly 18,000 people are homeless. The earthquakes have destroyed 190 buildings and damaged over 850, Venezuelan officials said.
