VA Search And Rescue Unit Returns From Venezuela After Earthquake Recovery Deployment

Virginia Task Force 1, sponsored by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, is returning from Venezuela after more than a week of working in partnership with local services to find and rescue survivors of two devastating earthquakes.

Virginia’s elite urban search and rescue unit was deployed to Venezuela on June 26, two days after major earthquakes shook the South American nation and caused catastrophic destruction.

The U.S. crew documented many of their efforts, including the rescue of a mother and a nine-month-old baby. The crew rescued a father and son trapped under rubble for four days, among other successes, and highlighted the work of their trained dogs in finding survivors in small, unstable spaces.

According to the U.S. State Department, the members of Virginia Task Force 1 were among more than 300 American personnel and 23 canines deployed to assist Venezuelan authorities in rescue and recovery efforts.

The task force says they will be back in Virginia Monday evening. Rescue crews from Los Angeles, CA, and Miami, FL, are also returning to the US on Monday.

According to a statement from the Venezuelan government on Sunday, the death toll in the quake has risen to 3,342, with more than 16,000 injured and more than 17,000 displaced.

Fairfax County police are currently searching for people accused of setting fire to the task force’s training facility in Lorton. Read more here.