Spanish military rescue teams arrived in Venezuela on Friday (June 26), including 59 rescue personnel and eight canine units to support search-and-rescue operations after two earthquakes struck the country.

The A330 aircraft took off at 0300 local time (0100 GMT) from Torrejon de Ardoz air base, near Madrid, and arrived in Venezuela's Valencia around 1030GMT.

Hundreds of people in Venezuela were trapped under rubble and many more remained unaccounted for on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes devastated areas in and around the capital Caracas, killing hundreds, damaging buildings and leaving thousands homeless.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas on Wednesday (June 24) evening, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, the strongest since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The disaster hit a country already weakened by years of economic turmoil, which left much of its infrastructure fragile and complicated rescue efforts as aftershocks rattled the capital and surrounding coastal areas.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VALENCIA, VENEZUELA (JUNE 26, 2026) (SPAIN'S DEFENCE MINISTRY - Access all)

1. SPAIN MILITARY RESCUE TEAM LEAVING AIRCRAFT

2. A330 AIRCRAFT ON TARMAC AND MILITARY DISEMBARKING PLANE

3. SPAIN MILITARY GREETING VENEZUELAN MILITARY

TORREJON DE ARDOZ, SPAIN (JUNE 26, 2026) (UME - Must on screen courtesy UME)

4. VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL FROM SPANISH EMERGENCY UNIT (UME) PREPARING EQUIPMENT

5. VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL BRIEFING BEFORE HEADING TO AIRCRAFT

6. VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL WALKING TOWARDS AIRCRAFT

7. VARIOUS OF AIRCRAFT A330 ON TARMAC

8. MILITARY PERSONNEL AND CANINE UNITS WAITING TO BOARD PLANE

9. VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL BOARDING PLANE

10. MILITARY PERSONNEL SEATED IN PLANE