Türkiye's AFAD rescuers receive Venezuelan state order

Members of Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), who helped deal with the aftermath of earthquakes in Venezuela, have been awarded the country's Orden Libertadores y Libertadoras de Venezuela, a Venezuelan state order named after the country's liberators, Report informs, citing AFAD.

"In line with the instructions of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish search and rescue teams arrived in the region to help the friendly people of Venezuela after the earthquakes that struck on June 25, 2026, and have been working without interruption for days. They have been honored with Venezuela's Order of Heroism," AFAD said.

A letter of gratitude from Delcy Rodríguez, acting president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was presented to the rescue team.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck northern Venezuela overnight on June 25. The US Geological Survey later reported two tremors, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, 40 seconds apart. Nearly 3,000 people have been killed and more than 16,500 injured in the earthquakes.