US troops unload China's only known aid flight to earthquake-ravaged Venezuela as Americans surge relief
U.S. troops were seen unloading what Fox News Digital is told was China's only aid flight sent to Venezuela so far as the country continues to reel from last month's back-to-back earthquakes.
Photos provided by the U.S. government show an Air-China-branded plane landing at Simon Bolivar 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.
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In the photos provided to Fox News Digital, U.S. service members were seen lifting large packages out of shipping containers, using large vehicles to move and organize pallets on the tarmac and loading boxes into trucks for transport.
"Secretary Rubio promised the Trump Administration's response to the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela would be big, fast, and effective. We continue to deliver on that commitment," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"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," he added.
The U.S. has moved more than 1.5 million pounds of assistance into Venezuela since the earthquakes struck on June 24, according to the State Department.
A big part of that was repairing Simon Bolivar Airport, which sits just outside the capital city of Caracas, after its runways were seriously damaged in the natural disaster.
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"The U.S. military was able to repair that airfield and get it up and running to allow for C-17 and other large aircrafts to land there. And that’s very important as we continue to obviously get international relief supplies in," a senior State Department official told reporters in late June.
Currently, 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.
Florida-based Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), one of the leading nonprofits gathering and sending aid to Venezuela, said it aims to deliver 100,000 boxes of supplies monthly for the next three to six months, according to The Associated Press.
According to GEM's website, it has shipped nearly 1 million pounds of aid. This includes over 38,000 hygiene kits, more than 27,000 tents and tarps and 48 generators.
GEM founder and president Michael Capponi told the AP that 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 on Jan. 3, did not allow Capponi into the country.
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"We land a private plane, it gets unloaded by U.S. soldiers, it goes in a truck we pay for and to a warehouse that we completely control. It doesn’t touch the hands of the Venezuelan government," he said.
The State Department said on July 9 that the U.S. government has committed more than $386 million for financial assistance to Venezuela flowing through trusted partner groups. Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign minister announced in late June a $14.72 million commitment for financial and material aid to Venezuela, according to Chinese state-run media.
Nearly two weeks after the earthquakes struck, Chinese state media reported about what they called the first batch of aid arriving to Simon Bolivar International Airport on July 6. State media said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Lan Hu received the shipment, said to include tents and generators, at the airport.
In late June, the U.S. also mobilized more than 300 search and rescue personnel throughout the country. The Miami Herald reported last week that those teams left after they "completed their mission."
As of Tuesday, 4,734 people have died from the earthquakes, according to figures released by the Venezuelan government, cited by Reuters. 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 told the AP.
Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.