In a show of regional solidarity following the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela earlier this month, a joint humanitarian aid shipment organized by nine CARICOM member states — including Belize — has successfully arrived at the South American nation’s Port of La Guaira on Sunday. The delivery comes less than a week after Belize formally confirmed its participation in the regional relief initiative, launched in response to a disaster that has already claimed at least 4,333 lives.
La Guaira, the area hardest hit by the seismic events, welcomed the aid delegation led by Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil, who accepted the shipment alongside Raúl Li Causi, the country’s Vice Minister for the Caribbean. According to official statements from the Government of Belize, the collective 88 containers hold a total of 258.9 tonnes of life-saving relief supplies, ranging from essential food stocks and potable water to water storage infrastructure, emergency medications, diapers, personal hygiene products, mattresses, and thermal blankets for displaced households.
Guyana took on the logistical coordination role for the cross-regional effort, bringing together nine participating nations: the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Beyond the 88 supply containers, Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the shipment also included 300 additional water tanks and two heavy-duty earthmoving machines to support search and recovery operations, as well as early debris clearance for infrastructure reconstruction.
In remarks following the shipment’s arrival, Minister Gil extended sincere gratitude to all participating CARICOM members for their urgent support. He specifically highlighted the partnership between Guyana and the broader Caribbean Community, noting “We are fully aligned and fully coordinated with our Caribbean Community, a sisterly and friendly community, as it has demonstrated on this occasion.” Gil emphasized that collective people-centered unity is the only effective framework to respond to large-scale humanitarian crises, adding that the Venezuelan people will not forget this show of solidarity.
As of the latest official updates, the disaster has left more than 16,000 people injured, over 6,400 individuals rescued from collapsed structures, and thousands more displaced from their damaged or destroyed homes. For its part, the Belizean government reaffirmed that its contribution to this relief mission underscores the country’s long-standing commitment to regional cooperation and collective humanitarian action, as Venezuela begins what will be a long, challenging path to full recovery and reconstruction.