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 assistance formation sent to Venezuela truthful acold arsenic nan state continues to reel from past month's back-to-back earthquakes.

Photos provided by nan U.S. authorities show an Air-China-branded level landing astatine Simon Bolivar Airport connected July 6, astir 2 weeks aft nan quakes deed connected June 24.

The supplies from nan Chinese authorities were past taken disconnected nan craft by U.S. soldiers, who person been starring the disaster response and assistance distribution efforts.

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An Air China-branded level lands astatine Simon Bolivar Airport successful Venezuela connected July 6, 2026, to present assistance from nan Chinese government (United States Government)

In nan photos provided to Fox News Digital, U.S. work members were seen lifting ample packages retired of shipping containers, utilizing ample vehicles to move and shape pallets connected nan tarmac and loading boxes into trucks for transport.

"Secretary Rubio promised nan Trump Administration's consequence to nan devastating earthquakes successful Venezuela would beryllium big, fast, and effective. We proceed to present connected that commitment," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said successful a connection to Fox News Digital.

"While immoderate countries opportunity they'll present assistance — weeks aft earthy disasters hap — America shows up, unloads nan aid, and ensures that assistance reaches nan hands of those who genuinely request it acknowledgment to our adjacent coordination pinch nan Department of War and nan awesome public-private partnerships our Department has spearheaded," he added.

The U.S. has moved much than 1.5 cardinal pounds of assistance into Venezuela since the earthquakes struck connected June 24, according to nan State Department.

A large portion of that was repairing Simon Bolivar Airport, which sits conscionable extracurricular nan superior metropolis of Caracas, aft its runways were earnestly damaged successful the earthy disaster.

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U.S. worker directs a instrumentality loader arsenic it moves pallets of assistance brought by nan Chinese authorities connected July 6, 2026. (United States Government)

"The U.S. subject was capable to repair that airfield and get it up and moving to let for C-17 and different ample aircrafts to onshore there. And that’s very important arsenic we proceed to evidently get world alleviation supplies in," a elder State Department charismatic told reporters successful precocious June.

Currently, 1 runway is operational astatine nan airport, and 1 of nan first American flights into nan airdrome was carrying forklifts to thief get supplies unloaded disconnected early flights, according to nan State Department official.

Florida-based Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), 1 of nan starring nonprofits gathering and sending assistance to Venezuela, said it intends to present 100,000 boxes of supplies monthly for nan adjacent 3 to six months, according to The Associated Press.

U.S worker drives a instrumentality loader afloat of supplies connected nan Simon Bolivar Airport tarmac connected July 6, 2026. (United States Government)

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According to GEM's website, it has shipped astir 1 cardinal pounds of aid. This includes complete 38,000 hygiene kits, much than 27,000 tents and tarps and 48 generators.

GEM laminitis and president Michael Capponi told nan AP that delivering assistance to Venezuela now is simply a "whole different animal" compared to erstwhile he tried to nonstop supplies during nan reign of Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro, who was captured and deposed during a U.S.-led ambush connected Jan. 3, did not let Capponi into nan country.

A U.S. worker undoes wrapping connected Chinese assistance to Venezuela connected July 6, 2026. (United States Government)

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"We onshore a backstage plane, it gets unloaded by U.S. soldiers, it goes successful a motortruck we salary for and to a storage that we wholly control. It doesn’t touch nan hands of nan Venezuelan government," he said.

The State Department said connected July 9 that nan U.S. authorities has committed much than $386 cardinal for financial assistance to Venezuela flowing done trusted partner groups. Meanwhile, nan Chinese overseas curate announced successful precocious June a $14.72 cardinal committedness for financial and worldly assistance to Venezuela, according to Chinese state-run media.

Nearly 2 weeks aft nan earthquakes struck, Chinese authorities media reported astir what they called nan first batch of assistance arriving to Simon Bolivar International Airport connected July 6. State media said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Lan Hu received nan shipment, said to see tents and generators, astatine nan airport.

In precocious June, nan U.S. besides mobilized more than 300 hunt and rescue personnel passim nan country. The Miami Herald reported past week that those teams near aft they "completed their mission."

Relatives of missing group hunt for victims amid nan rubble of a collapsed building successful Caraballeda, La Guaira State, Venezuela connected July 13, 2026, pursuing nan June 24 copy earthquakes. (Martin Bernetti / AFP via Getty Images)

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As of Tuesday, 4,734 group person died from nan earthquakes, according to figures released by nan Venezuelan government, cited by Reuters. Additionally, location are astatine slightest 16,740 group injured, while astir 18,000 group are homeless.

The earthquakes person destroyed 190 buildings and damaged complete 850, Venezuelan officials told nan AP.

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.